NANOTECHNOLOGY

The applications of nanotechnology can be very beneficial and have the potential to make a significant impact on society. Nanotechnology has already been embraced by industrial sectors, such as the information and communications sectors, but is also used in food technology, energy technology, as well as in some medical products and medicines. Nanomaterials may also offer new opportunities for the reduction of environmental pollution.

Many of the applications of nanotechnology involve new materials that have very different properties and new effects compared to the same materials made at larger sizes. This is due to the very high surface to volume ratio of nanoparticles compared to larger particles, and to effects that appear at that small scale but are not observed at larger scales.