| |
-
Nanotechnology:
Originally used to define any work done on the molecular scale, or one billionth of a meter. This term is now used broadly (& loosely) for anything that is really small (usually smaller than a micrometer).
-
Nanometer: one billionth of a meter or 1/1000 of a micrometer.
-
Assembler: A molecular manufacturing device capable of positioning molecules through chemical reactions.
-
Nanocomputer: A computer with parts built on a molecular scale.
-
Nanotube:
one-dimensional fullerene (a convex cage of atoms with only hexagonal and/or pentagonal faces) with a cylindrical shape.
-
Nanowires:
One-dimensional structures, with unique electrical and optical properties, that are used as building blocks in nanoscale devices.
-
Nanopowders:
Nano-sized particles exhibit a range of physical, chemical and biological properties that are quite different to bulk materials of the same substance. Industry is now making use of these changed properties to enhance the functionality of many products.
-
Solar Cells: Convert light energy into electrical energy. Also known as photovoltaic cells. A solar cell is made of thin wafers of two slightly different types of silicon. One, doped with tiny quantities of boron, is called P-type (P for positive) and contains positively charged 'holes', which are missing electrons. The other type of silicon is doped with small amounts of phosphorus and is called N-type (N for negative). It contains extra electrons. Putting these two thin P and N materials together produces a junction (often refered to as P-N junction) which, when exposed to light, will produce a movement of electrons – and that constitutes an electric current. Though most widely used solar cells are made of silicon, other materials could also be used to create P-N junctions.
-
Molecule: The smallest unit of a chemical compound that can exist. It consists of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds. Molecules can vary greatly in size and complexity.
-
Technological Singularity: In futurology, a technological singularity is a predicted point in the development of a civilization at which technological progress accelerates beyond the ability of present-day humans to fully comprehend or predict.
-
Grey-Goo: Grey goo refers, usually in a science fictional context, to a hypothetical end-of-the-world event involving nanotechnology, in which out-of-control self-replicating robots consume all life on Earth while building more of themselves (a scenario known as ecophagy).
-
Ecophagy: As originally coined and first defined by Robert Freitas, the term ecophagy means, literally, the consuming of an ecosystem.
-
Genetic Engineering: Genetic engineering, genetic modification (GM), and gene splicing (once in widespread use but now deprecated) are terms for the process of manipulating genes in an organism, usually outside of the organism's normal reproductive process.
|
|
|
