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Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is not just about the size of very small things, it
is the revolutionary science and art of manipulating matter at the atomic or
molecular scale. More important, it is about the structure and the ability of
molecular compounds to "work". Research in areas related to nanomaterial is
needed to develop manufacturing techniques. In particular, it is a synergy of
top-down with bottom-up processes. When matter is as small as 1 to 100
nanometers, many of its features will easily change and have many unique
features both different from macro-matters and single atoms due to the quanta
effect, regional confinement of matter, and huge surface or interface effects.
The final objective of nanometer technology is to produce products of special
functions with new physical and chemical features by making atoms, molecules
and matters presenting their features directly in the length of a nanometer:
the strength of ten times of iron could be very light, all information in a
library could be stored in a chip the size of a sugar cube, and tumors the
sizes of only several cells can be detected. The US Business Weekly listed
nanometer technology as one of the three key areas of work in the 21st
century. From 1999, the US government decided to classify research in
nanometer technology as one of the 11 key areas in the first ten years of the
new century. In February 2000, US president Bill Clinton announced that the US
Federal Government would invest 495 million dollars to set up a work group and
put forth a research report promoting nanometer technology, with hopes that it
will lead to the next industrial revolution. Titanium dioxide's photocatalytic
characteristics are greatly enhanced due to the advent of nanotechnology. At
nano-scale, not only the surface area of titanium dioxide particle increases
dramatically but also it exhibits other effects on optical properties and size
quantization. An increased rate in photocatalytic reaction is observed as the
redox potential increases and the size decreases. In some cases (such as with
T-2's special composition) energy from any ambient light source can be used
effectively as the energy source of photocatalysis instead of UV light.
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