The Nanotech Pioneers

Hype, hope, or horror? A vivid look at nanotechnology, written by an insider and experienced science writer. The variety of new products and technologies that will spin out of nanoscience is limited only by the imagination of the scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs drawn to this new field. Steve Edwards concentrates on the reader's self interest: no military gadgets, wild fantasies of horror nanobot predators and other sci-fi stuff, but presents a realistic view of how this new field of technology will affect people in the near future. He is in close contact with many pioneers in nanotechnology, and includes their backgrounds to allow readers, especially college students considering a career in the field, to better imagine themselves in such positions. However, technology does not develop in a vacuum, and this book also looks at the social, political and economic changes attendant upon the development of nanotechnology. For the science-interested general public as well as chemists, students, lecturers, chemical organizations, materials scientists, journalists, politicians, industry, physicists, and biologists.

"Increasingly, scientists are gaining control over matter at the nanometer scale. Spearheaded by physical scientists operating at the interfaces of physics and biology (such as the author herself), advances in nanoscience and technology are transforming how we think about life and treat human health. This is due to a convergence of size. To do medicine, one must understand and be able to reach the nanoscale environment of healthy cells in tissues and organs, as well as other nano-sized building blocks that constitute a living organism, such as proteins and DNA. The ground-breaking advances being made at the frontiers of nanoscience and -technology, specifically in the areas of biology and medicine, are the subject of this short, popular-level book. Chapter 1 describes how nanotechnology and quantitative methods in biology are progressively being deployed to embrace life in all its multiscale, hierarchical intricacy and multiplicity. Chapters 2 through 4 review how bioinspired and biomimetic nanostructures and nanomachines are being created and integrated into strategies aimed at solving specific medical problems. In particular, Chapter 2 summarizes how scientists are seeking to build artificial nanostructures using both biological molecules and the organizational principles of biology. Chapter 3 gives an account of how nanotechnology is being used to develop drug-delivery strategies that specifically target cancer cells and tumors to improve the efficacy of current cancer chemotherapies. Chapter 4 reviews the science of one of the most potentially transformative scientific fields: tissue engineering. In a concluding chapter (Chapter 5), Contera reviews how nanotechnology, biology, and medicine will continue fusing with other sciences and technologies - incorporating more mathematical and computational modelling, as well as AI and robotics. Nanoscale devices will be used to learn biology; and biology will be used to inspire increasingly sophisticated "transmaterial" devices that mimic some of the characteristics of biology and incorporate new features that are not available in the biological world. The effects on human health and longevity will be profound. In a more personal epilogue, Contera describes the crossroads at which we find ourselves. Accessing our own biology evokes a mixture of possibility and dread. However, Contera maintains that we can create a positive transmaterial world for the benefit of humankind, and she describes ways in which scientists are proactively engaging with the public, politicians, industry, and entrepreneurs, as well as the media and the arts, to communicate the power and risks of new advances and to influence the ways in which new technologies will affect our future"--

Synopsis: Nanotechnology appears in the plot lines of dozens of films, books, and TV commercials. Some scientists and policy makers are hailing its potential as a driver of the next industrial revolution, and others are warning of its negative implications for the environment, health, and society. Berube (communication studies, U. of South Carolina) works to get to the bottom of it all with a heft assessment of the state of the science and politics of nanoscience and current claims for and against its uses.-Book News.

A new high-level book for professionals from Atlantis Press providing an overview of nanotechnologies now and their applications in a broad variety of fields, including information and communication technologies, environmental sciences and engineering, societal life, and medicine, with provision of customized treatments. The book shows where nanotechnology is now - a fascinating time when the science is transitioning into complex systems with impact on new products. Present and future developments are addressed, as well as a larger number of new industrial and research opportunities deriving from this domain. An overview for professionals, researchers and policy-makers of this very rapidly expanding field. Brief chapters and colour figures with a contained overall length make the book attractive at an attractive price - a must for every professional’s shelf. Mihail C. Roco, National Science Foundation and National Nanotechnology Initiative, wrote the preface underlying the importance and weight of the present book to this exciting and epoch-awakening field of research and applications: “Nanotechnology is well recognized as a science and technology megatrend for the beginning of the 21st century. This book aims to show where nanotechnology is now - transitioning to complex systems and fundamentally new products - and communicates the societal promise of nanotechnology to specialists and the public. Most of what has already made it into the marketplace is in the form of “First Generation” products, passive nanostructures with steady behaviour. Many companies have “Second Generation” products, active nanostructures with changing behaviour during use, and embryonic “Third Generation” products, including 3-dimensional nanosystems. Concepts for “Fourth Generation” products, including heterogeneous molecular nanosystems, are only in research.”

A unique introduction for general readers to the underlying concepts of nanotechnology, covering a wide spectrum ranging from biology to quantum computing. The material is presented in the simplest possible way, including a few mathematical equations, but not mathematical derivations. It also outlines as simply as possible the major contributions to modern technology of physics-based nanophysical devices, such as the atomic clock, global positioning systems, and magnetic resonance imaging. As a result, readers are able to establish a connection between nanotechnology and day-to-day applications, as well as with advances in information technology based on fast computers, the internet, dense data storage, Google searches, and new concepts for renewable energy harvesting. Also of interest to professionals working in law, finance, or teaching who wish to understand nanotechnology in a broad context, and as general reading for electrical, chemical and computer engineers, materials scientists, applied physicists and mathematicians, as well as for students of these disciplines.

Nanotechnology & Society is a collection of sixteen papers focused on the most urgent issues arising from nanotechnology today and in the near future. Written by leading researchers, policy experts, and nanoethics scholars worldwide, the book is divided into five units: foundational issues; risk and regulation; industry and policy; the human condition; and selected global issues. The essays tackle such contentious issues as environmental impact, health dangers, medical benefits, intellectual property, professional code of ethics, privacy, international governance, and more.

NANOTECHNOLOGY IN INTELLIGENT FOOD PACKAGING This book is a state-of-the-art exposition of nanotechnology and food packaging which is undergoing rapid advancement. This book is specially designed with an emphasis on the state-of-the-art in nanotechnology and food packaging. It offers fascinating techniques for producing smart and active food packaging and also discusses its toxicity and the role that nanosensors play in detecting different pathogens in food packaging. The concluding chapters also explain recent developments concerning the incorporation of health supplements in food packaging and their future role in producing intelligent food packaging. The 16 chapters of this book were contributed by academic and industry experts working in their respective areas of research and are thoughtfully arranged in a systematic fashion that preserves the flow of knowledge. An attempt has been made to include all the information in a single monograph to better understand the topics and technologies involved in the application of nanotechnology in intelligent food packaging. Audience The book is aimed at researchers, industry scientists such as chemists, biologists, polymer technologists, food packaging industrialists, biotechnologists, health experts, quality/food safety officials, and policymakers. It will also be helpful to graduate students in the fields of materials science, polymer science, and biotechnology to better understand the fundamental concepts involved in food packaging in relation to extending shelf life.

What Is Molecular Nanotechnology Molecular nanotechnology, often known as MNT, is a kind of technology that is predicated on the capability of using mechanosynthesis to construct things according to intricate atomic requirements. These are not to be confused with materials on the nanoscale. This advanced kind of nanotechnology would make use of positionally-controlled mechanosynthesis guided by molecular machine systems. The inspiration for this form of nanotechnology comes from Richard Feynman's vision of microscopic factories that employ nanomachines to produce sophisticated items. Combining the physical principles shown by biophysics, chemistry, other nanotechnologies, and the molecular machinery of life with the systems engineering concepts present in current macroscale industries is what would be required to create MNT. How You Will Benefit (I) Insights, and validations about the following topics: Chapter 1: Molecular nanotechnology Chapter 2: Foresight Institute Chapter 3: K. Eric Drexler Chapter 4: Nanotechnology Chapter 5: Nanomedicine Chapter 6: Robert Freitas Chapter 7: Self-replication Chapter 8: Gray goo Chapter 9: Molecular assembler Chapter 10: Mechanosynthesis Chapter 11: Engines of Creation Chapter 12: Nanorobotics Chapter 13: Self-replicating machine Chapter 14: History of nanotechnology Chapter 15: Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology Chapter 16: Outline of nanotechnology Chapter 17: Productive nanosystems Chapter 18: Wet nanotechnology Chapter 19: Drexler?Smalley debate on molecular nanotechnology Chapter 20: Atomically precise manufacturing Chapter 21: Glossary of nanotechnology (II) Answering the public top questions about molecular nanotechnology. (III) Real world examples for the usage of molecular nanotechnology in many fields. (IV) 17 appendices to explain, briefly, 266 emerging technologies in each industry to have 360-degree full understanding of molecular nanotechnology' technologies. Who This Book Is For Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of molecular nanotechnology.