ABSTRACT
In the last two decades, progress in material science has led to explosive development of a broad and interdisciplinary research area: the
nanostructure science and technology
. In fact, due to the potential of realizing new materials with novel and improved properties and functionality, this research field has been growing and attracting the interest of scientists and engineers all over the world. Significant resources are being allocated worldwide for research and development in nanostructure science and technology with specific aims to:
• Control the nanoscale size and synthesis • Characterize the materials, in terms of electrical, optical, magnetic,
and chemical properties • Understand the relationship between the nanostructure and
properties • Develop techniques to process these materials
Table 11.1 shows the distribution of government funding in 1997, which approached over half a billion dollars.
