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Review
. 2019 Dec 27;25(1):112.
doi: 10.3390/molecules25010112.

The History of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: From Chemical-Physical Applications to Nanomedicine

Samer Bayda  1 , Muhammad Adeel  2   3 , Tiziano Tuccinardi  4 , Marco Cordani  5 , Flavio Rizzolio  2   6
Affiliations
Review

The History of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: From Chemical-Physical Applications to Nanomedicine

Samer Bayda et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Nanoscience breakthroughs in almost every field of science and nanotechnologies make life easier in this era. Nanoscience and nanotechnology represent an expanding research area, which involves structures, devices, and systems with novel properties and functions due to the arrangement of their atoms on the 1-100 nm scale. The field was subject to a growing public awareness and controversy in the early 2000s, and in turn, the beginnings of commercial applications of nanotechnology. Nanotechnologies contribute to almost every field of science, including physics, materials science, chemistry, biology, computer science, and engineering. Notably, in recent years nanotechnologies have been applied to human health with promising results, especially in the field of cancer treatment. To understand the nature of nanotechnology, it is helpful to review the timeline of discoveries that brought us to the current understanding of this science. This review illustrates the progress and main principles of nanoscience and nanotechnology and represents the pre-modern as well as modern timeline era of discoveries and milestones in these fields.

Keywords: nanomaterials; nanomedicine; nanoparticles; nanoscience; nanotechnology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A comparison of sizes of nanomaterial. Reproduced with permission from reference [2].
Figure 2
Figure 2
The concept of top down and bottom up technology: different methods for nanoparticle synthesis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The Lycurgus cup. The glass appears green in reflected light (A) and red-purple in transmitted light (B). Reproduced with permission from reference [10].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of nanoparticles on the colors of the stained glass windows. Reproduced with permission from reference [14].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Progresses in Nanotechnology.
Figure 6
Figure 6
STM image of the Si(111)-7 × 7 reconstructed surface showing atomic scale resolution of the top-most layer of silicon atoms. Reproduced with permission from reference [22].
Figure 7
Figure 7
35 Xenon atoms positioned on a nickel (110) substrate using a STM to form IBM logo. Reproduced with permission from reference [23].
Figure 8
Figure 8
Schematic of a C60 buckyball (Fullerene) (A) and carbon nanotube (B).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Progress in nanoscience and nanotechnology in different fields of science.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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