Nanotechnology is the study, design, creation, synthesis, manipulation, and application of functional materials, devices, and systems through control of matter at the nanometer scale, that is, at the atomic and molecular levels, and the exploitation of novel phenomena and properties of matter at that scale.
One nanometre (nm) is one millionth of a millimetre, or about five atoms in a row; this is the limit for how small a man made object can be. When materials and structures are made on the nanometre scale, they will have new properties.
Nanotechnology is not so much a new technology as a new way of thinking. Nano engineers try to mimic nature by combining traditional technology with nature's own way of making functional materials and structures. New tools allow nano engineers to study and manipulate matter at the atomic level. This paves the way for a number of different applications, for example:
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new materials with superior properties
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surface modification for increased functionality
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extremely sensitive sensors, e.g. for medical and environmental purposes
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integration of biology and electronics
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further miniaturisation of electronic components
