Applied Nanotechnology

Preface

This is as much a book about ideas as about facts. It begins (Chapter 1) by explaining—yet again!—what nanotechnology is. For those who feel that this is needless repetition of a well-worn theme, may I at least enter a plea that as more and more people and organizations (latterly the International Standards Organization) engage themselves with the question, the definition is steadily becoming better refined and less ambiguous, and account needs to be taken of these developments.

The focus of this book is nanotechnology in commerce, hence in the first part dealing with basics, Chapter 2 delves into the fascinating relationship between wealth, technology and science. Whereas for millennia we have been accustomed to technology emerging ...