In It to WIN It

The science and engineering of materials, devices, and systems with size features on the atomic and molecular scale encompasses most of what is currently described as nanotechnology. While many would argue that nanoscale research has been carried out for decades by chemists, physicists, biologists, and engineers, only relatively recently has the descriptor nanotechnology been used in a generic fashion to describe the full spectrum of research carried out on the smallest of size ranges, namely the nanoscale (1 nm = 10−9 m). Nanotechnology is now emerging not only as a significant domain of research endeavor but also as a driver of industrial innovation and societal change, which will impact the world in unusual and unforeseen ways in the years ahead. “Catch the nanowave” is an expression that aptly captures both the excitement of scientific advances and the technological impact.