Nanotechnology: Tools Microbiologists Can Use to Refine Their Research and Become Nanobiologists

Nanotechnology is a rapidly expanding field of science that deals with molecules and structures in the 1-to 1000-nm scale. Many of the current nanotechnology tools and techniques evolved from microfabrication applications of the semiconductor industry. Frequently, nanoscale structures are coupled to structures on the micrometer scale and larger for greater control. With the advent of the computer revolution, billions of dollars have been invested in recent decades to refine microfabrication capabilities and optimize chip design. Nanotechnology has provided new tools to reexamine accepted scientific phenomena. A major milestone for nanotechnology was the formulation of the National Nanotechnology Initiative in 2000 that

identified nanotechnology as a dynamic science at the confluence of physical sciences, molecular engineering, biology, biotechnology, and medicine (1). Scientists from these diverse fields are developing a collective understanding of how matter can be controlled and characterized at the micro-and nanometer range. The experiments performed in nanotechnology range widely and are often traditional research studies that use nanofabrication tools to refine their studies.