Welcome in the Nanoworld

Abstract

The review brings an overall survey of fundamental and applied nanotechnology research with special focus on the history of the field. The fathers-founders of nanotechnologies are introduced, among those particularly Richard Feynman, Eric Drexler, Robert Curl, Harold Kroto, Richard Smalley, John Foster, Sumio Iijima, Gerd Binning and Heinrich Rohrer. Basic strategies of nanotechnology are presented including the top-down and bottom-up methodological approaches, utilisation of self-assembling processes, techniques based on AFM and SPM microscopy and others. Structures such as carbon and non-carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, quantum nanodots, organised uniform nanostructures and their potential practical applications are discussed. Nanotechnologies can be utilized in materials science, catalysis, electrochemistry, biochemistry, medicine, organic, analytical and physical chemistry, and energy conversion. The topic is treated in a complex manner to clearly demonstrate the expected general impact and importance of nanotechnologies in the near future. The review contains more than 500 references.
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