Glossary

Nano

A prefix meaning one billionth (1/1,000,000,000)

Nanochemistry

Chemistry on the nanometer scale, handling extremely small amounts of liquids (Nanoliter, Femtoliter) or material. Surfaces with nanometer-sized features are required.

Nanocomposites

Polymer/inorganic nanocomposites are composed of two or more physically distinct components with one or more average dimensions smaller than 100 nanometers. From the structural point of view, the role of inorganic filler, usually as particles or fibers, is to provide intrinsic strength and stiffness while the polymer matrix can adhere to and bind the inorganic component so that forces applied to the composite are transmitted evenly to the filler.

Nanocrystal

Molecular-sized solids formed with a repeating, three-dimensional pattern of atoms or molecules with an equal distance between each part. Nanocrystals are believed to have potential in optical electronics because of their ability to change the wavelength of light.

Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS)

An integrated electro-mechanical nanoscaled device similar to MEMS but with nanometer dimensions.

Nanofluidics

Guiding of ultra-small amounts of liquids for chemical analysis. Chemical reactions or separation techniques in a lab of very small dimensions, which is referred to as a "lab on a chip device".

Nanoimprinting

Transferring a pattern from a stamp or master to a surface by compressing. The surface is spin-coated with a thermoplastic material. The stamp is pressed onto the surface, heated until the thermoplastic softens. During this step the structures of the stamp are imprinted. After cooling the inverse pattern of the stamp has been transferred.

Nanoindentation

Measuring the local mechanical properties of a surface. A small probe, typically a small diamond pyramid, is pressed on a surface with a known load and the indentation depth is recorded. From the force or load and the depth of indentation the local hardness is determined. The indentation can be done either with an AFM or a special designed Nanoindenter.

Nanolithography

Nanolithography is the art and science of etching, writing, or printing at the nanoscopic level, where the dimensions of characters are on the order of nanometers. This includes various methods of modifying semiconductor chips at the atomic level for the purpose of fabricating integrated circuits (ICs). Instruments used in nanolithography include the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and the atomic force microscope (AFM). Both allow surface viewing in fine detail without necessarily modifying it. Either the STM or the AFM can be used to etch, write, or print on a surface in single-atom dimensions.

Nanometer

One billionth of a meter (1/1,000,000,000).

Nanoscale

Concerning the molecular and macromolecular level. Generally, the nanoscale is defined from 1 to 100 nm, whereas the range from 100 to 1000 nm is named the submicrometer scale.

Nanotechnology

Areas of technology where dimensions and tolerances in the range of 0.1nm to 100nm play a critical role.

Nanotubes

Cylindrical tubelike molecule consisting of graphite sheets. They are extremely strong materials and have a good thermal conductivity. Carbon nanotubes are extremely thin (their diameter is about 10,000 times smaller than a human hair). A single walled nanotube (SWNT) is composed of one graphite sheet, a concentrical formation of more than one sheet is named multiwalled nanotube (MWNT).

nm

Abbreviation for nanometer, which is one billionth of a meter (1/1,000,000,000).

Nucleus

The positively charged core of an atom, an object of 0.00001 atomic diameters containing > 99.9% of the atomic mass. Nuclear positions define atomic positions.

Databases

Further Information

Community