WELCOME to Nanotechnology. If it sounds new to you, better be informed that this science and technology momentum has been in existence for more than four decades! Nanotechnology is the science and technology of materials at the nanometer scale. It is the extraordinary but real world of atoms and molecules. Scientists and engineers explore this world of nanoscale objects with high-speed computers and powerful atomic resolution microscopes.

To understand the enormity and weigh the gravity of the challenges posed by this technology as well as appreciate the versatility of their unique design features, it therefore becomes necessary to have an idea of the size of things at the atomic level. In nanoscience objects are measured in nanometers, which is one billionth of a meter. For comparison, the smallest features on current computer chips, measure about 200 nanometers. And a human hair is 100,000 nanometers thick.

In this realm, the rules of quantum physics provide matter with remarkable properties. Understanding and harnessing these properties will lead to breakthroughs in the 21st Century as revolutionary as electricity, antibiotics, plastic and computers were in the 19th and 20th.

In concrete terms, Nanotechnology is the creation of functional materials, devices and systems through control of matter on the nanometer length scale (1-100 nanometers), and exploitation of novel phenomena and properties (physical, chemical, biological, mechanical, electrical...) at that length scale. For comparison, 10 nanometers is 1000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. A scientific and technical revolution has just begun based upon the ability to systematically organize and manipulate matter at nanoscale. Payoff is anticipated within the next 10-15 years.

A new generation of microscopes with atomic resolution has opened a window directly into the world of atoms and molecules. A breakthrough discovery occurred in 1991 when Japanese researcher Sumio Iijima peered into his electron microscope and noticed fine threads in a bit of soot. They were exceptionally long thin tubes of pure carbon only 10 nanometers across with the patterned symmetry of graphite.

These nanotubes turned out to have extraordinary properties--greater resilience, strength, thermal stability and current-carrying capacity--than virtually any other known material. With the discovery of nanotubes and an ever increasing variety of other nanostructures, the new frontier of nanotechnology has captured the imaginations of scientists everywhere.

They are working on applications that were the dreams of yesterday: nano-scale computing devices, fibers stronger than steel and exquisitely sensitive biochemical-sensors.

It's no wonder that venturing into the tiny domain of atoms and molecules is catching on. Amazing discoveries are being made, inspiring scientists the world over. Throughout the scientific community, including Sandia National Laboratories, researchers say building things atom-by-atom or molecule-by-molecule will revolutionize the production of virtually every human-made object.

Exciting prospects--but they also point out the promise of nanotechnology can only be realized if we learn to understand the special rules that control behavior at this small scale and develop the skill needed to integrate these concepts into practical devices.

The excitement stems from the understanding that the behavior of materials at the nanoscale is nothing like that at the large scale. Only recently have the necessary tools, such as powerful new microscopes, been developed to let researchers see these surprising behaviors. Sandia National Labs' scientists and engineers are among the leading architects and builders of these tools. To appreciate their unique design features, it helps to get an idea of the size of things at the atomic level. In nanoscience objects are measured in nanometers, 1 billionth of a meter. For comparison, the smallest features on current computer chips, measure about 200 nanometers. And a human hair is 100,000 nanometers thick.

Moving beyond observation, scientists are now poised to make exciting advances in nanotechnology, the creation of materials, devices and systems through the control of matter at the atomic level. By understanding and controlling the way molecules organize into nanoscale patterns, scientists are discovering new phenomena and learning to design materials with vastly different sets of properties. As one Sandia scientist put it "Design possibilities are limited only by one's imagination."

Sandia Labs continues to enhance its proficiency in many fields, all in keeping with its Department of Energy mission to unite science and engineering to serve national needs. And along with world class capabilities in materials science, micro fabrication - including 40,000 square feet of clean room space - high performance computing and systems engineering - Sandia is uniquely positioned to be the integrating center for new discoveries in nanoscience.