Nowaday, nanotechnology has been named as one of the most important areas of impending technology. because of their unique characteristics that can hardly be found in conventional macroscopic materials. With these properties, nanomaterials will have their excellent values in many industries such as electronics, chemicals, cosmetics, environmentals and so on.

What is Nanotechnology ?

The word “Nano” means dwarf in Greek language. Use it as a prefix for any unit and it mean billionth of that unit (10-9). So nanotechnology is the term used to cover the design, construction and utilization of functional structures with at least one characteristic dimension measured in nanometers. These materials can be created to exhibit significantly improved chemical, physical and biological properties and phenomena because of the size of the particles. The size in a range of nanometer (about 10-9 m to 10-7 m or 1 nm to 100 nm), the objects may display physical attributes different from bulk materials, this can lead to new technological opportunities as well as new challenges.

How small is "nano"

From the picture, It clearly see that how small is "nano". Hair is about 60000-120000 nm. Nano almost as wide as a DNA molecule .The smallest lithographic feature on a Pentium computer chip is about 100 nanometers.

Some present and future applications of nanomaterials

Electronics and optoelectronics
- Inorganic nanomaterials for high definition television and panel displays
- Three-dimensional optical memories
- The next-generation computer chips
- Semiconductor devices
- Electrically conducting nanoceramics

Manetic Application
- magnetic memories
- magnetorestrictive materials
- resisters and varistors
- high temperature superconductors

Energy storage
- high energy density batteries
- better thermal or electrical insulation materials
- solar cells
- hydrogen storage materials

In gas sensing devices
- gas sensors for NOx, SOx, CO2, CO, CH4 and aromatic hydrocarbon
- UV sensors

Protection coating
- cost-effective corrosion protection materials

Medical application
- bio-compatible coating for medical applications
- controlled drug release and drug delivery

Catalysis
- photocatalyst for air or water purifying
- better activity and selectivity in chemical reactions and fuel cells