A Basis for Action - Commission de l'éthique de la science et de la ...

Position Statement of the Commission de l'éthique de la science et de la technologie
Single-walled carbon nanotube – Nanotube consisting of a single carbon atom sheet wound
around itself. Syn.: single-wall carbon nanotube, single-walled nanotube, single-wall nanotube
Smart – Said of any apparatus, machine, system, device, or object that has the electronic or computer
resources required to independently process the data it collects or is sent, and to use the information
to control its actions
Smart dust – Set of chips with interlinked microsize or nanosize components that form a wireless
network in which they can exchange the data they collect, process, and transmit, as applicable, to a
central unit when they are released into the air like particles of dust or spread in materials
Solar paint – Flexible material consisting of nanosize solar cells that can be spread like paint on a
surface and that converts solar energy into electric energy. Syn.: photovoltaic paint
Specific surface – Total dimension of the surface of a body in relation to its mass or volume. Syn.:
specific surface area, mass surface
Tissue engineering – Set of techniques that draw on the principles and methods of engineering and
the life sciences in order to understand the relationship between the structures and functions of
normal and pathological tissues in mammals, and to develop biological substitutes for restoring,
maintaining, or improving tissue function. Syn.: organogenesis
Top-down approach – Method for manufacturing nanometric components that consists of
gradually reducing the size of an existing material by cutting or sculpting it until it has the desired
dimensions and characteristics. Syn.: top-down, top down approach
Tunnel effect – Quantum phenomenon that occurs when a particle of matter like an electron
crosses an energy zone opposite to it even though it lacks the energy to break the barrier according
to the laws of conventional physics. Syn.: tunneling effect, tunnelling effect, tunneling, tunnelling,
quantum tunneling, quantum tunnelling
Ultrafine particle – Particle in suspension in the air with an aerodynamic diameter measuring
between 1 and 100 nanometers. Abbr.: UFP
X-ray lithography – Lithographic technique that uses X-rays with a wavelength between 0.5 and
5 nanometers to reproduce the pattern of a nanometric structure in a sensitive resin toward which
they are directed through a mask. Syn.: XRL, X-lithography
94 Ethics and Nanotechnology:
A Basis for Action