Overview

What is nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at the dimension of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers.

A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. A sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick; the diameter of DNA is roughly 2.5 nanometers; and a single hydrogen atom is about one-tenth of a nanometer.

What’s so special about the nanoscale domain?

Nanoscale materials have novel physical, chemical, and biological properties. Nanoscale scientists study these properties, and nanoscale engineers use them to develop improved materials, devices, and systems.

What is nanomedicine? Watch a short video

Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology to health. Researchers are developing nanoscale tools and devices that can interface with natural biological systems at the molecular and cellular level to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.