# Nanotechnology Cheatsheet ## Key Concepts - Deals with materials and devices at the nanoscale (1-100 nanometers) - 1 nanometer = 1 billionth of a meter - Exploits unique properties of materials at the nanoscale ## Scale Reference - Atom: ~0.1 nm - DNA double-helix: ~2 nm diameter - Typical protein: ~10 nm long - Virus: ~100 nm - Human hair: 50,000-100,000 nm diameter ## Key Players - K. Eric Drexler: Popularized nanotechnology concept - Richard Feynman: Gave seminal 1959 lecture on manipulating matter at atomic scale - Don Eigler: Wrote IBM with individual atoms in 1989 ## Applications - Medicine: Targeted drug delivery, diagnostics - Electronics: Smaller, faster computer chips - Materials: Stronger, lighter materials (e.g., carbon nanotubes) - Energy: Improved solar cells, batteries - Environment: Water purification, pollution control ## Tools and Techniques - Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) - Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) - Electron microscopes - Molecular beam epitaxy ## Key Materials - Carbon nanotubes - Quantum dots - Fullerenes (Buckyballs) - Graphene ## Potential Risks - Health and environmental concerns of nanoparticles - "Gray goo" scenario (theoretical self-replicating nanobots) ## Future Directions - Molecular manufacturing - Nanorobotics - Quantum computing - Advanced medical treatments Source: https://www.explainthatstuff.com/nanotechnologyforkids.html Source: https://slate.com/technology/2016/09/a-cheat-sheet-guide-to-nanotechnologys-debates-terminology-and-researchers.html Source: http://www.nanotech-now.com/basics.htm #nanotech #technology #science #cheatsheet