Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nanometers. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. A sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick; a single gold atom is about a third of a nanometer in diameter. We're talking small.
Unusual physical, chemical, and biological properties can emerge in materials at the nanoscale. Going to this website shows illustrations of just what size this means visually. The topic brings to mind safety issues that require thought like respiratory, absorption, and others still being discussed by experts. Click on this government site >> http://www.nano.gov/html/facts/The_scale_of_things.html
