Nanotechnology; A Very Short Introduction

What is Nanotechnology and how will it affect us? Nanobots, nanoprobes, nanoswarms, nanogenes the list goes on. Nanotechnology is a staple of science fiction and has a rather chequered history when it comes to public perception: will swarms of sentient nanomachines ultimately take over the world or will nanotech give us nothing more than improved sun creams? As this Very Short Introduction shows, the science underpinning nanotechnology is equally as fascinating as the best nano-inspired sci-fi. In this book, Philip Moriarty introduces the key scientific themes and concepts underpinning the field, including interatomic and intermolecular forces, single atom imaging, quantum confinement, self-assembly, molecular machinery, and nanomagnetism. Moriarty includes results from ground-breaking scientific studies, such as scanning probe microscope images of atomic and molecular “landscapes”, providing visceral and intuitive insights into the nanoscopic world. Title page Copyright page Contents Preface List of illustrations Chapter 1. Welcome to NanoPut Feeling the force A close bond Pauli pushes back More than a theory Chapter 2. The quantum, confined Making waves: the nano‒quantum interface Nanoscale waves and wavefunctions Serial to parallel All that glitters... Artificial atoms: zero dimensional nanoscience Magic nano numbers Mind the gap Chapter 3. Tearing it down, building it up Top-down technology Breaking down the barriers: tunnelling electrons Self-assembling nanostructures Out of equilibrium The carbon flatlands Chapter 4. It from bit, bit from it DNA computing Atomic bits Spins and songs The single spin limit Quantum computing and qu-bits Chapter 5. Nanomachines Nature’s nanomachines Biomimetic and biokleptic nanotechnology Engineering artificial nanomachines: chemical topology Chapter 6. Are the nanobots nigh? Further reading Index Superconductivity The Laws of Thermodynamics Relativity Scientific Revolution Nuclear Power Science and Religion Planets Nuclear Weapons Innovation Galaxies Forensic Science