Ongoing research in nanotechnology promises both innovations and risks, potentially and profoundly changing the world. This book helps to promote a balanced understanding of this important emerging technology, offering an informed and impartial look at the technology, its science, and its social impact and ethics.

• Nanotechnology is crucial for the next generation of industries, financial markets, research labs, and our everyday lives; this book provides an informed and balanced look at nanotechnology and its social impact
• Offers a comprehensive background discussion on nanotechnology itself, including its history, its science, and its tools, creating a clear understanding of the technology needed to evaluate ethics and social issues
• Authored by a nanoscientist and philosophers, offers an accurate and accessible look at the science while providing an ideal text for ethics and philosophy courses
• Explores the most immediate and urgent areas of social impact of nanotechnology

• What Is Nanotechnology and Why Does It Matter? 2
  • Contents 8
  • Preface 11
  • Unit I What Is Nanotechnology? 14
    • 1 The Basics of Nanotechnology 16
      • 1.1 Definitions and Scales 16
      • 1.2 The Origins of Nanotechnology 18
      • 1.3 The Current State of Nanotechnology 21
      • 1.4 The Future of Nanotechnology 25
      • 1.5 Nanotechnology in Nature and Applications 29
    • 2 Tools of the Trade 33
      • 2.1 Seeing the Nanoscale 34
      • 2.2 Basic Governing Theories 43
    • 3 Nanomaterials 49
      • 3.1 Formation of Materials 49