chapter 1 big picture and principles of the small …（第1章大图片和原则的小u2026）.pdfVIP

C h a p t e r 1 Big Picture and Principles of the Small World anotechnology means putting to use the unique physical properties of Natoms, molecules, and other things measuring roughly 0.1–1000 nm. We are talking about engineering the smallest-ever structures, devices, and systems. Nanotechnology is also a promise. A big one. Nobel laureates, novelists, and news anchors alike tell us on a daily basis that nanotechnology will completely change the way we live. They have promised us micro- scopic, cancer-eating robots swimming through our veins! Self-cleaning glass! Digital threads! Electronic paper! Palm-sized satellites! The cure for deafness! Molecular electron- ics! Smart dust! What the heck is smart dust—and when can we get our hands on some? A promise is a promise . . . Such things are actually down the road. Nanotechnology has been hyped by techies who cannot wait to order a wristwatch with the entire Library of Congress stored inside; while others bespeak the hysteria of rapidly self-replicating gray goo. Much that is nano is bur- dened with over-expectations and misunderstanding. As usual, the reality lives somewhere between such extremes. Nanotechnology is like all technological development: inevitable. It is not so much a matter of what remains to be seen; the fun question is, who will see it? Will we? Will our children? Their children? Turns out, we will all get to see some. Nanotechnology is already changing the way we live, and it is just getting started. The “nano” from which this relatively new field derives its name is a prefix denoting 10−9. “Nano” comes from nanos, a Greek word meaning dwarf. In the case of nanotechnology, it refers to things in the ballpark that are one-billionth of a meter in size. When Albert Einstein was in graduate school in 1905, he took