|
Thanks to new standard, we can define "nanotechnology" terminology consistently |
|
|
|
Jan 03, 2007 at 08:14 AM |
Since the term nanotechnology entered the scientific and public discourse, there's been a problem with what the word---and related terms suffixed with "nano"---really means.
Is it a question of physical scale or self-assembly, marketing hype or precise technical definition? It was a bit confusing, but the level of perplexity escalated when Apple came along and branded an iPod with the "n" word. How can something visible, like an MP3 player, possibly be "nano" anything---even if certain components inside contain nanoscale features? Small is not necessarily beautiful---or nano.
Last month though, the nanosemantical struggles took a turn for the better when the ASTM International committee on nanotechnology issued a new standard, E 2456-06, Terminology for Nanotechnology. Thirteen terms are defined in the document, from agglomerate to ultrafine particle. This baker's dozen should be of great use to those laboring in the nanotrenches (a term not defined, btw), but the Big One---nanotechnology---needs to be shared here:
nanotechnology, n—A term referring to a wide range of technologies that measure, manipulate, or incorporate materials and/or features with at least one dimension between approximately 1 and 100 nanometers (nm). Such applications exploit the properties, distinct from bulk/macroscopic systems, of nanoscale components.
An informative story about the new standard appears at www.smalltimes.com, and a PDF of the standard can be downloaded at the ASTM Website.
|
Blogs 
