that can change the normal characteristics
of water. Ordinary bubbles have a diameter
which range from 1 µm and larger. These
quickly rise to the surface of a liquid and
collapse. Nanobubbles which are < 100 nm in
diameter will randomly drift owing to what is
termed, Brownian Motion and can remain in
liquids for an extended period.
What is Nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology (“nanotech”) is manipulation
of matter on an atomic, molecular, and
supramolecular scale. The earliest, widespread
description of nanotechnology referred to the
technological goal of precisely manipulating
atoms and molecules for fabrication of
macroscale products, also now referred
to as molecular nanotechnology. A more
generalized description of nanotechnology
was subsequently established by the National
Nanotechnology Initiative, which defines
nanotechnology as the manipulation of matter
with at least one dimension sized from 1 to
100 nanometres. This definition reflects the
fact that quantum mechanical effects are
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important at this quantum-realm scale, and
so the definition shifted from a technological
goal to a research category inclusive of all
types of research and technologies that deal
with the special properties of matter which
occur below the given size threshold. It is
therefore common to see the plural form
“nanotechnologies” as well as “nanoscale
technologies” to refer to the broad range of
research and applications whose common
trait is size. Because of the variety of potential
applications (including industrial and military),
governments have invested billions of dollars
in nanotechnology research. Through 2012,
the USA has invested $ 3.7 billion using
its National Nanotechnology Initiative, the
European Union has invested $ 1.2 billion, and
Japan has invested $ 750 million.
Nanotechnology as defined by size is naturally
very broad, including fields of science as
diverse as surface science, organic chemistry,
molecular biology, semiconductor physics,
energy storage, microfabrication, molecular
engineering, etc. The associated research and
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