Nanotechnology

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GLOBAL INVESTOR FOCUS <strong>Nanotechnology</strong>—06 Editorial “There’s plenty of room at the bottom.” // Does nanotechnology hold the key to progress in the 21st century? Perhaps. The core technology is still only in its infancy – even though products based on nanotechnology are already available on the market. And even though significant amounts of public and private money are being channeled worldwide into nanotechnology research and applications. “Nano” is the word on everyone’s lips. “Nano” is the way forward. So is “nano” a synonym for the future? A phenomenon? A blessing for humanity? Or is “nano” nothing more than hype? A curse? An illusion? A dream that will burst like a bubble? That’s what we want to find out. And that’s why we commissioned this report. In order to meet the information needs of our clients, the bank has begun to cast a critical eye over nanotechnology. Because it is our job to provide our clients with the right advice at the right time. One of our main tasks is to identify investment trends and new markets at an early stage, to realistically assess the various possibilities, and to weigh up the opportunities and risks involved. Which also answers the question as to why a bank should be looking so intensively at nanotechnology at this time. Just one more thought. Isn’t it true to say that we Swiss have a special fondness for small things? The precision engineering which finds expression in the Swiss watchmaker’s craftsmanship is famous throughout the world. And it was a Swiss scientist, Heinrich Rohrer, who together with his German colleague, Gerd Binnig, developed and built the first scanning tunneling microscope – a great achievement, for which both men received the Nobel Prize. “There’s plenty of room at the bottom.” This sentence, which was spoken by Richard Feynman in 1959, marks the birth of nanoscience as we know it. We see it as our task to get to the bottom of the matter. Arthur Vayloyan Member of the Executive Board of Credit Suisse Head of Private Banking Switzerland
p Glossary Biochip: A prefabricated plate, which together with a reacting instrument performes biochemical tests. Biological sensors: Sensors are devices that respond to thermal, electromagnetic, mechanical, or other physical stimulus by producing a signal of electrical nature. Biological sensors measure the number of particles in the vicinity of the sensing element. Bit (abbreviated b): is the most basic information unit used in computing and information theory. With two valves, 0 or 1, 8 bits form a byte (abbreviated B ) and can assume 2 8 = 256 values. Bottom-up approach: Building nanostructures atom by atom, or molecule by molecule. Electron: A negative elementary-charged particle that orbits the positively charged nucleus of an atom. Ion: An electrically charged atom or molecule. Ions may be negatively or positively charged, either by an additional or a missing electron. In situ (“in place” in Latin): A term used in biology. To examine the phenomenon exactly in place where it occurs (without removing it in some special medium, etc.). Macroscopic: Large enough to be visible to the naked eye, typically longer than a tenth of a millimeter. MEMS: Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is the integration of mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a common silicon substrate through microfabrication technology. Microtechnology: Technology dealing with matter on the size scale of microns (1 millionth of a meter ). Microtechnology can refer to microelectronics, MEMS, micro-optics or any technology that manipulates matter on a micron scale. Nanometer (abbreviated nm): A millionth of a millimeter. Nanoparticles: Particles with a size of 0.1 to 100 nanometers. Nanoscience: The scientific discipline seeking to increase knowledge and understanding of nanoscale phenomena, i.e. science on the scale of 0.1 nm to 100 nm. Nanoscience encompasses the traditional disciplines of physics, chemistry, biology and engineering. <strong>Nanotechnology</strong>: The application of nanoscience in order to control processes of the nanometer scale, between 0.1 nm and 100 nm. Photon: Discrete unit of electromagnetic radiation. Behaves not as a wave only, but also like a particle (without mass). Photovoltaic cells: A photovoltaic cell is a device that turns light into electric energy. Quantum mechanics: The well-tested theory of the behavior of matter on the microscopic scales of atoms and computer chips, where the constituents of matter behave simultaneously like waves and particles. Quantum states: Matter at the scales of atoms and molecules, assumes well-defined discrete states. Any changes and reactions can occur only by jumps from one into another quantum state, whereby a discrete amount of energy may be emitted or absorbed by electromagnetic radiation in a form of a photon. Top-down approach: Downsizing materials from a larger scale to nanometer size.
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Nanotechnology

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