An Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Abstract

In this paper we present an introduction to the principles and advances made in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology including inventions, discoveries and design and study of molecular building blocks (MBBs) studied through nanoscience and applied in nanotechnology. Nanoscience is the study of systems in nanoscale and nanotechnology is the ability to systematically organize and manipulate properties and behavior of matter in the atomic and molecular levels. Through nanoscience and nanotechnology it has become possible to study and create very useful functional devices, materials and systems on the 1 to 100 nanometer (one billionth of a meter) length scale. The reasons why nanoscale has become so important are presented. Historical aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology are introduced starting with the famous 1959 lecture by R.P. Feynman. Considering that recent inventions, discoveries and breakthroughs in atomic and molecular aspects of nanoscale systems have been quite frequent, a selected list of recent advances and future prospects familiar to the author are presented her