What is Nanotechnology?
WA-ACTE Summer Conference
August 17, 2011
Mel Cossette
Frank Cox
National Resource Center for Materials Technology Education (MatEd)
www.materialseducation.org
When we say……..
Microelectronics
Microscope
Microbe
You think…………
“Micro…..”
Is a prefix that means “one millionth”.
So a micro meter (μm) is one millionth of a meter
“Nano”
 The prefix “nano” comes from the Greek word that means “dwarf” and represents
one billionth
 When the prefix “nano” is applied to a length, like a meter we have
 One billionth of a meter or 10 -9 m
 Or one nanometer (nm)
 Atoms are smaller than 1 nm, One hydrogen atom is about 1/10 of a nm. Gold
atoms are a bit smaller than ½ of a nm.
 DNA is about 2.5 nm across
 And a human hair is about 100,000 nm in diameter (not length)
 Molecules are formed by individual atoms that have interactions over a range of a
few to tens of nanometers
Nanotechnology is…..
the ability to observe, image, study, measure
and manipulate at the molecular and atomic scale.
Courtesy Office of Basic Energy Sciences,
Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy
© Deb Newberry 2008
A bacterium, ~ 1000 nm
A red blood cell, ~ 7000 nm
A virus, ~ 100 nm
Aspirin, ~1 nm
© Deb Newberry 2008
Starpharma.com
Over the last several decades…
Modifications
Improvements
New ‘scopes
Why is understanding the molecular or atomic level structure
of a material important?
Atomic (electronic) structure
Molecular structure
Physical characteristics
Electrical characteristics
Biological characteristics
About Nanotechnology
 Nanotechnology – Application of specific tools (Atomic Force Microscopes, Scanning
Electron Microscopes etc.) that allow us to observe and manipulate material at the
molecular or atomic scale.
 Over 900 products currently in the market which take advantage of nanotechnology.

Every industry or market segment will be impacted by nanotechnology, with impacts
in electronics and material science applications coming first, communication and disease
diagnostic applications in the near future and in vivo disease treatment approaches or
tailored drugs in the far future.
 The application of nanoscience to industry is forecasted to create billions of dollars of
revenue over the next 10 to 15 years.

Need for trained employees is critical to support the anticipated economic growth. Over
800,000 trained employees needed in the next 10 years in the US with over 50% being
technicians. (Estimate is 4 to 6 technicians per PhD researcher.) Includes new employees
and retraining
On a typical day somewhere in Europe ….
Catalyzer
Nanoparticles
GPS Navigation
Functional Materials
Pace Maker
Cosmetics
Air Bag
Accelaration Sensors
MEMS
TiO2 Nanoparticle
Li-Batteries
New Materials for Energy
Mobile Phone
SAW Structures
Artificial Hips
Glasses and Coatings
Biocompatible
Materials
Optical Materials
UV Filter
Digital Camera
CCD Chip
Artificial Lens
Biocompatible
Polymers
Exact Time via satellite
Semiconductíng devices
Intelligent Credit Card Micro-Batteries
Bike Frame
Carbon Fibres
Composite Materials
Integrated Circuits
GMR Read Head
LED Display
Magnetic
Multilayers
Photonic Materials
Taylored Materials at Work ….
Electronics
Biotechnology
Examples of Multi-disciplinary Nanotechnology
Consumer Products
Material
Science
Engineering
Physics
NanoScience
Nanotechnology
Chemistry
Medicine
Biology
The Connection
 Nanotech is global
 Nanotechnology will impact every market segment
 Creates………….
 Unique Opportunities
 Unusual Competitors
 Surprising Partnerships
National Center for Manufacturing Sciences 2009
National Center for Manufacturing Sciences 2009
National Center for Manufacturing Sciences 2009
The expansion of nanotechnology
 Expansion:
 More companies are becoming aware of the advantages
and necessity of understanding their product at the
nanoscale
 Electronics, drugs, medical devices, batteries, coatings,
lubricants, foods, lotions, inks
 Over the next 5 years nanoscience will move from the
research lab to manufacturing of products using
nanotechnology
 This requires a combination of the specific industry
discipline and nanotechnology core competencies
Many Facets of Needed Nanotech Skills
 Strategic Planning
 Marketing, Business Development
 Manufacturing (Exponential influence of nano)
 Process Engineering and Development
 Safety
 Metrology
 QA, reliability
 Electronics
 Processing
 Process monitoring and testing
 Research
 Government Regulatory and Safety Adherence
Summary
Please help us gauge interest for an
Introduction to Nanotechnology workshop by filling a quick survey
today….
Contact Information
National Resource Center for Materials Technology Education (MatEd)
Mel Cossette – 425.640.1376 or [email protected]
Frank Cox- 425.640.1145 or [email protected]