Nanotechnology: Research and Perspectives

Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1992. Presumed first edition/first printing. Hardcover. Very good condition/very good. ix, 381 pages. Illustrations (some in color). Index. Cover credits slip laid in.Nanotechnology ("nanotech") is manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal of precisely manipulating atoms and molecules for fabrication of macroscale products, also now referred to as molecular nanotechnology. A more generalized description of nanotechnology was subsequently established by the National Nanotechnology Initiative, which defines nanotechnology as the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers. Because of the variety of potential applications (including industrial and military), governments have invested billions of dollars in nanotechnology research. Until 2012, through its National Nanotechnology Initiative, the USA has invested 3.7 billion dollars, the European Union has invested 1.2 billion and Japan 750 million dollars. This book presents a wide range of potential applications of this new material technology. The first section introduces the basic concepts of molecular engineering and demonstrates that several mutually reinforcing trends in current research are leading directly into a world of powerful molecular machines, presenting applications of nanotechnology that interact directly with the molecular systems of the human body. The second section presents applications that function outside the body. The final section details the mechanisms of a universal human-machine interface and the operation of an extremely high resolution system. Papers from the First Foresight Conference on Nanotechnology.