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Nanoscience
refers to the science and manipulation of chemical and biological structures
with dimensions in the range from 1-100 nanometers. Nanoscience building
blocks may consist of anywhere from a few hundred atoms to millions of
atoms. On this scale, new properties (electrical, mechanical, optical,
chemical, and biological) that are fundamentally different from bulk
or molecular properties can emerge. Nanoscience is about creating new
chemical and biological nanostructures, uncovering and understanding
their novel properties, and ultimately about learning how to organize
these new nanostructures into larger and more complex functional structures
and devices. Nanoscience is a new way of thinking about building up complex
materials and devices by exquisite control of the functionality of matter
and its assembly at the nanometer-length scale. Nanoscience inherently
bridges disciplinary boundaries. The "nano" length scale requires
the involvement of chemical concepts at the atomic and molecular level.
Devices and other functional structures engineered at the nano-scale
often use light or electrical signals either to interact with the macroscopic
world, or because the devices are designed to process information, with
photons or electrons. The vision of nanoscience ultimately combines the
science and engineering of man-made and biological entities, controlled
at the nanometer scale, and assembled into complex, engineered structures
that can interact with their surroundings at dimensions ranging from
that of molecules to that of humans and beyond.
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