O o d h e a d p u b L i s h I n g L i m I t e d

10.1
Introduction
Nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging interdisciplinary field that is having a
significant impact on materials including plastics and textiles; electronics;
optics; medicine; and energy. It is often referred to as ‘bottom up’ technology
(Holme, 2008), as materials are constructed from the smallest building blocks
of atoms, molecules and nanoparticles, in contrast to ‘top down’ technologies
that start with the bulk material.
The Royal Society and The Royal Academy of Engineering (2004) in
their report Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies: Opportunities and
Uncertainties defined nanoscience and nanotechnology as:
Nanoscience is the study of phenomena and manipulation of materials at
atomic, molecular and macromolecular scales, where properties differ
significantly from those at a larger scale.