ABSTRACT
Theabilitytofabricatenanostructuresandtoexploittheirspecialpropertiesis gainingwidespreadattentionasachallengingfrontier.Characterizationand theoryrelatedtomacroscopicandatomic/molecularbehaviorhavereceived majoremphasisfordecades.Thebehaviorofmesostructures(intermediate betweenmacroscopicandmoleculardimensions)exhibitingpropertiesnot readilyexplainedbyeithermacroscopicoratomic/molecularmodelshasproved tobearecentresearchendeavor.NobelPrizewinningdiscoveriessuchasthe scanningtunnelingmicroscope[1]andthequantumHalleffect[2]providenew methodsforexaminingmesostructures.Theunexpectedbutreadilyunderstood quantizationofconductanceofmesostructures(theLandauerrelationship[3]) representsanothersignificantstepinrecognizingtheuniquepropertiesofthese materials.Mechanicalparametersaredominatedbythepropertiesofthesurfaces andinterfaceswhenasignificantfractionofasampleisrepresentedbythe interfacialregionofnanostructures.Newtoolsarebeingdevelopedtoobserve andunderstandthebehaviorofmesoscopicstructures,individuallyorinbulk. Itisattractivetoconsiderinnovativematerialpropertiesandtheconsequent exploitationfortechnologicalgain.
