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Monolayer of [2]catenanes sandwiched between two crossed electrodes serves as a solid-state molecular switching device.
Image courtesy of Anthony R. Pease, UCLA |
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Is nanotechnology the impetus for the next Industrial Revolution? Will it change human life in ways never thought possible? In this C&EN Special Report, C&EN Senior Correspondent
Ron Daganiexamines the hype and hope surrounding nanotechnology. He also explores nanoelectronics, specifically four different approaches for using molecules or other nanostructures to perform computations. Associate Editor Mitch Jacoby looks at the instrumentation used in studies of nanotechnology, focusing on scanning probe microscopes and related tools that have energized research developments. The relatively new instruments are user-friendly, provide an enormous amount of information on the structure of matter at the nanometer scale, and can be used to image and manipulate atoms and molecules in ways few could have imagined 20 years ago. Houston Bureau Head Ann M. Thayer describes a new generation of start-up firms devel oping nanotechnology, largely in the area of nano materials. Although these new companies have limited production capabilities and sales, markets for their products are anticipated to grow as the new materials find application in polymer composites, electronics, coatings, catalysis, and even in cosmetics, drug discovery, diagnostics, and health care. Government planners, meanwhile, see nanotechnology as one of three megatrends that have characterized the U.S. R&D enterprise during the past 50 years--the other two being in formation technology and biotechnology. In his article, Associate Editor William G. Schulz examines the National Nanotechnology Initiative, which aims to coordinate this groundbreaking research in ways that will maximize its potential for society at large.
