Nanotechnology
deals with various structures of matter having dimensions of the Order of a
billionth of a meter. While the word nanotechnology is relatively new,
the Existence of functional devices and structures of nano meter dimensions is
not new, And in fact such structures have existed on Earth as long as life
itself. It is not clear when humans first began to take advantage of Nano sized
materials .It is known that in the fourth-century A.D. Roman glass makers
were fabricating Glasses containing Nano sized metals. An artifact from this
period called the Lycurgus Cup resides in the British
Museum in London
The color of the cup changes from green to a
deep red when a light source is Placed inside it. The great varieties of
beautiful colors of the windows of medieval cathedrals are due to the presence
of metal nano particles in the glass.
What is Nano Science and Nanotechnology?
Nano
science is the study of phenomenon and manipulation of materials at atomic
molecular and macro molecular scales, where properties differ significantly from
those at larger scale.
Bulk
material (the material/things we see around us) possess continuous physical
properties so we can say that classical
laws are valid for them and similar is
the case for micron size structures. But when we go more down in size say in
nano meter range then classical mechanics fails to explain their behavior
(Momentum, Position, energy etc.) At these dimensions only Quantum mechanical
laws will be apply to the system. For example if we take the Gold as a bulk and
then Gold Nano particles there is much difference in physical and chemical
properties in both the cases.
Bulk
Gold
Gold Nano Particles
Color = Golden Color = Not Golden
Melting point = 10600C Melting point = 6500C
