ABSTRACT
Bionanotechnology is a combination of three terms: bios meaning life, nano (origin in Greek) meaning dwarf, and technologia (origin in Greek—comprises techne meaning craft and logia meaning saying), which is a broad term dealing with the use and knowledge of humanity’s tools and crafts. Biomolecular nanotechnology or bionanotechnology is a term coined for the area of study in which nanotechnology has applications in the field of biology, chemistry, and medical sciences. The terms bionanotechnology and nanobiotechnology refer to the intersection of biology and nanotechnology. However, bionanotechnology involves applications of biology to nanotechnology, that is, utilization of biological machines in nanomaterials or nanoscale, for instance, genetic engineering or cellular engineering. The focus of this introductory chapter is to examine the key concepts that define bionanotechnology as a field of study.
