Introduction to Nanotechnology

This chapter surveys the now and then in the development of nanotechnology and focuses on nanomaterials made up by only carbon atoms, i.e. the nanocarbon family. Nanotechnology is truly an interdisciplinary and multipurpose field, as its impact will reach virtually all industries and research areas. The operational standards for nanotechnology industry and research are instrumentation, metrology, and analytical methods; nanomaterials and human health; nanomaterials and the environment; human and environmental exposure assessment; and risk management methods. Some common practices in nanomanufacturing include chemical vapor deposition to create high-performance thin films, dip pen lithography using atomic force microscope (AFM) to write nanoprints, and roll-to-roll processing to produce high-volume rolls of nanowires. A new aspect in manufacturing nanomaterials is the entering of quantum effects. Graphenes are in the early stages of macroscale manufacturing for commercial use.