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Welcome to the Birck Nanotechnology
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Nanotechnology is an emerging science in which new materials and
tiny structures are built atom-by-atom, or molecule-by-molecule, instead
of the more conventional approach of sculpting parts from pre-existing materials.
Nano is a prefix meaning one-billionth, so a nanometer is one-billionth
of a meter.
Just as antibiotics, the silicon transistor and plastics affected nearly
every aspect of society in the 20th century, nanotechnology is expected
to have profound influences in the 21st century.
The possibilities include:
The creation of new materials with superior strength, electrical conductivity,
resistance to heat and other properties.
Microscopic machines for a variety of uses, including probes that could
be injected into the body for medical diagnostics and repair.
A technology in which biology and electronics are merged, creating “bio-chips”
that detect food-borne contamination, dangerous substances in the blood
or chemical warfare agents in the air.
The creation of artificial organs and prosthetics that enhance the quality
of life.
The development of "molecular electronics" and devices that
"self assemble," similar to the growth of complex organic structures
in living organisms. Theoretically, such self-assembling devices could
make electronics processing far less expensive than conventional semiconductor
processing.
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