History of use

The first mention of some of the distinguishing concepts in nanotechnology was in 'There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom," a talk given by physicist Richard Feynman at an American Physical Society. Feynman described a process by which the ability to manipulate individual atoms and molecules might be developed, using one set of precise tools to build and operate another proportionally smaller set, so on down to the needed scale.

The term "nanotechnology" was defined by Tokyo Science University Professor Norio Taniguchi in a 1974 paper as follows: '"Nano-technology' mainly consists of the processing of, separation, consolidation, and deformation of materials by one atom or one molecule." In the 1980s the basic idea of this definition was explored in much more depth by Dr. Eric Drexler, who promoted the technological significance of nano-scale phenomena and devices through speeches and the books.

What is Nanotechnology?

While many definitions for nanotechnology exist, the NNI calls it "nanotechnology" only if it involves all of the following:

1. Research and technology development at the atomic, molecular or macromolecular levels, in the length scale of approximately 1-100 nanometer range.

2. Creating and using structures, devices and systems that have novel properties and functions because of their small and/or intermediate size.

3. Ability to control or manipulate on the atomic scale.

III. Find in the dictionary Russian equivalents for the following English words a word combinations. Read them correctly and memorize them:

phenomena and structures

at dimensions of

novel application

quantum confinement

breakthroughs

macromolecules

macromolecular assemblies

turbulence and inertia

precise fools

to promote the technological significance

to involve

approximately

to create structures

to manipulate on the atomic scale

IV. Give written translation of the paragraph «What is nanotechnology?»

Unit II

I. Read the text looking for the information about how nanotechnology provides a renewed idea of welfare.

Nanotechnologies - huge opportunities and many unknowns

Renewing the world with nanotechnologies – New boost for competitiveness and welfare Evolution of nanotechnologies and their opportunitiess for citizens and welfare.

Dr. F. Roure, French ministry of economy, finance and industry.

The development of nanotechnologies has opened the way to major scientific discoveries and consequently pushed innovation forward in fields of increasing complexitiy, from already available synthetic nanoparticles and nanomaterials, to nanosystems and networks of nano-enabled systems tomorrow.

Nanotechnology-enabled and converging transformational technologies bring with them an entirely new, unthought world with huge potential advantages for the people, as well as potential hyperchoice. The conditions of a fair competition amongst stakeholders - private as well as public ones- leading to better, sustainable and appropriate technical solutions at more affordable price, may not be spontaneously provided. Nanotechnologies exports control, industrial secrecy and intellectual property rights models, inherited from the industrial revolution need, to be redesigned for a knowledge-based society, as well as the ways and means by which democracies sort out the acceptable finalities of nano-enhanced progress, from the ones requiring repressive measures.

Nanotechnology-based, green-house gas effect neutral energy technologies, nanofiltration for bringing drinkable water to the 2.3 billion people who lack it, raw materials scarcity, nano-enabled security and safety technologies of surveillance and tracking/tracing technologies compliant with privacy and human rights, pervasive mobility and ubiquity allowed by nanoelectronics, sustainable mind and body functionalities provided by nanodevices for medicine, are providing a renewed idea of welfare. The already hanging fruits in those domains should be fairly presented to the consumers, and appropriate regulations, if duly rooted upon the pilars of environmental and societal risk assessments, are expected to strengthening the co-evolution of quality of life and of the industrial production on a world-wide basis.

Public "metrics", statistics and economic indicators are lacking behind the on-going production and trade expansion related to nanotechnologies, leaving researchers and the public authorities with interesting, but partial and onerous estimations of markets and activities, offered under private responsibility. Foresight, strategic planning and public policies would benefit from a quick and significant improvement of state-of-the-art publicly available datas and assessment methodologies, in order to define appropriate evaluation and a joint, global governance framework.

Facing major initiatives in the Asia-Pacific areas as well as in North America, supported by private funding from research to seed and venture capital as well as by public precompetitive research and procurement fundings, the European stakeholders, living in an ageing area, may consider sustainable development and social welfare requirements as valuable cultural incentives for promoting an internationally competitive supply of european industrial nanotechnologies and nano-enabled goods and services.

II. Add to your list of words with the prefix «nano-» some new words from this text. Comment on them. Learn them.

III. Find the corresponding English equivalents in the text. Read them correctly a memorize them.

открыть путь

ускорить инновационный процесс

огромные преимущества в будущем

честное соревнование

общество, базирующееся на знании

основанный на нанотехнологии

нехватка сырья

технология наблюдения и прослеживания

отставать от

предвидение

извлекать пользу, выгоду

устойчивое развитие

необходимые условия социального обеспечения

IV. Answer the following questions.

1. How has the development of nanotechnologies pushed innovation forward?

2. What will strengthen the coevolution of quality of life?

3. Statistics and economic indicators are not lacking behind the on – going production, are they?

V. Write a summary on the text.