Nanotechnology: An Introduction

This overview of the emerging field of nanotechnology uses real-world examples to explore a potentially abstruse subject. Whether used in science, manufacturing, or medicine, nanotechnology simply involves working with material on a very small scale (like five hundred times smaller than the diameter of a single human hair). The advantages of nanotechnology are illustrated here in a variety of applications—from making fabric stain resistant to creating stained glass—interlaced with material on more technical aspects and principles related to nanoscience (including nanoparticles, the superadhesive “gecko effect,” and laser technology), as well as a brief look at the ethical and social implications of nanotechnology. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (E. Gieschen)