Understanding, prospects and constraints of emerging nanotechnology

Abstract

Much effort is currently being devoted in Nanotechnology owing to its diverse range of technological applications. Nanotechnology deals with the design, characterization, production and application of structures, devices and systems by controlling their size and shape at nanometre scale. It focuses on manipulating the most basic components of all matter (atoms and molecules) with great precision and exploiting the novel properties or phenomena observed at that length scale as compared to their bulk-scale counterparts. Thus size effects become predominant at the nano scale. Most of the observed effects at this nano scale could be explained by surface and quantum confinement phenomena. It is an emerging interdisciplinary technology and promises significant advances in various technological applications. Nanotechnology is the new industrial revolution as it has the potential to revolu-tionise various sectors of the society. Still the potential of this technology has not been fully exploited as many questions still remain to be answered. Notwithstanding these advantages, it is a challenge to the government and industries as yet there are no specific regulations for assessing the toxicity or environmental impact of nanoparticles.