Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is expected to be the big solution for the future. Business and governments worldwide invest tens of billions in the development of nanotechnology. The Balkenende cabinet invested more than 235 billion euros with the hope to contribute to the position of the Dutch knowledge economy in Europe.

“Nano”is the Greek word for dwarf. The prefix nano indicates an order ofsize like micro-, kilo-, mega-.

Nano means bilionth part. Nanometer means biolionth part of meter. That’s the size of molecules. In comparison: a human hair has the thickness of approximately 80.0000 nanometer.

Nanotechnology makes it possible to built purposefully and controled new structures from atomic or molecular building stones aimed for specific functions or properties. These properties differ fundamental to those of ‘tradional’ materials. The development is mainly inspired by electronics and the resulting microscopic technics that make single molecules visible. An example is the Scanning Tunnel Microscope from 1982. The next move is the classifying and manipulation of the building stones. At the beginning it was mainly mechanistic: the making of molecular machines or parts of it at nano scale. Recently a lot of nano scientists are searching for inspiration in nature and in imitating the construction of cellular functions.: the cell as a machine.

There are many possibilities for the application of nanorechnology: medical technology, materialtechnology, electronics, the supply of energy, water treatment, coatings: in all various industries it’s in principle possible to design or improve purposefully the properties of materials.

On the one hand the new properties create big promises, on the other hand uncertainty. Uncertainty about possible health and evironmental risks, but also about the distribution of the advantages of nanotechnology. Can only prosperous countries and citizens profit from this technology?