With nanoscience and nanotechnology (shortened to "nanotech") we are dealing with new scientific and technological approaches, whose aim is to study and modify matter on the molecular and atomic scale. The prefix “nano” means 10-9 (i.e. 0,000000001). A nanometer (nm) is a billionth of meter, an incredible small dimension, much more smaller than the diameter of one human hair.

Operating in such a nanometrical dimension (i.e. on the molecular and atomic scale) it is now possible to investigate and to control new properties and functions of matter. Nanotechnology would be able to use and profits from these new properties on a macroscopic scale, for example to create materials and devices with particular “ad hoc” features.

Nanosciece involves very diverse research fields, ranging from quantum physics and molecular biology to physics and chemistry of materials, where nanotechnologies are the applications developed from the basic research. Nanotechnologies would be able to transfer the recent scientific knowledge in new products and devices. In one word, nanotechnology refers to the possibilities opened by the direct investigation, control and modification of matter on the molecular and atomic scale.

In the last ten years nanomaterials have been founding an enormous interest: it is a common opinion that they would foster a new technological revolution, as well as electronics and informatics.

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http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Nanotechnology