nanotechnology

noun

nano·​tech·​nol·​o·​gy ˌna-nō-tek-ˈnä-lə-jē 

: the manipulation of materials on an atomic or molecular scale especially to build microscopic devices (such as robots)

Placing atoms as though they were bricks, nanotechnology will give us complete control over the structure of matter, allowing us to build any substance or structure permitted by the laws of nature.

—Science News

Once the province of science fiction, nanotechnology, the science of assembling materials one atom at a time, is now the rage among Silicon Valley investors.

—Karen Breslau

nanotechnological

ˌna-nō-ˌtek-nə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

adjective

nanotechnologist

ˌna-nō-tek-ˈnä-lə-jist 

noun

Did you know?

Nanotechnology, or nanotech for short, deals with matter at a level that most of us find hard to imagine, since it involves objects with dimensions of 100 billionths of a meter (1/800th of the thickness of a human hair) or less. The chemical and physical properties of materials often change greatly at this scale. Nanotechnology is already being used in automobile tires, land-mine detectors, and computer disk drives. Nanomedicine is a particularly exciting field: Imagine particles the size of a blood cell that could be released into the bloodstream to form into tiny robots and attack cancer cells, or "machines" the size of a molecule that could actually repair the damaged interiors of individual cells.

Examples of nanotechnology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Scientists are utilizing artificial intelligence, nanotechnologies, and novel biotechnology in a bid to reinvigorate the antibiotic pipeline. —Cecilia.butini, Vox, 4 June 2024

But apart from Ye Wenjie’s chapters, readers mostly see the story through the eyes of Wang Miao, a male nanotechnology researcher who teams up with police detective Da Shi to unravel the mystery of the Trisolarans. —Zing Tsjeng, Vulture, 22 Mar. 2024

Pharmaceutical drugs, the Internet, nanotechnology, nuclear power, renewable energy—all were developed with an enormous amount of government investment and risk taking, on the backs of countless workers, and thanks to public infrastructure and institutions. —Mariana Mazzucato, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2020

This heat paired with the nanotechnology on the titanium coating can create long, loose curls and beachy waves for any occasion. —Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

nanotechnology

noun

nano·​tech·​nol·​o·​gy

ˌnan-ō-tek-ˈnäl-ə-jē

: the art of using and controlling materials on an atomic or molecular scale especially in order to create microscopic devices