The many faces of nanotechnology

The similarities and differences between the impending nanotechnology boom and the dotcom boom (and bomb) merit attention. In an attempt to bring clarity into the rapidly expanding field of nanotechnology, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) defines nanotechnology as having three characteri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inIntellectual property & technology law journal Vol. 16; no. 7; pp. 6 - 11
Main Author Vorndran, Charles
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Clifton Aspen Publishers, Inc 01.07.2004
Subjects
Analysis
Atoms & subatomic particles
Biotechnology
Intellectual property
Inventions
Nanotechnology
Technology
Trends
United States > US
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Summary:The similarities and differences between the impending nanotechnology boom and the dotcom boom (and bomb) merit attention. In an attempt to bring clarity into the rapidly expanding field of nanotechnology, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) defines nanotechnology as having three characteristics. The first characteristic is a size scale of about 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). One nanometer is a billionth of a meter. The second characteristic is a novel property or function as a result of the small size. The third characteristic is the ability to control or manipulate individual atoms. A typical atom is less than 1 nm in diameter. It has been suggested that nanotechnology-related inventions face unique challenges during the prosecution of patent applications claiming nanotechnology subject matter. Nanotechnology is an emerging technology sector that combines several different scientific disciplines and has a large amount of potential to be used in products ranging from biologies, automobiles, and polymers.
ISSN:1534-3618