NANOTECH’S SUBSIDIARY RECEIVES THIRD CONTRACT FROM APOLLO

Nanotech Industries, Inc., today announced that one of the Company’s subsidiaries, has received a follow-on order from Apollo Industries. Apollo Industries, a Swedish company and one of Europe’s foremost Aerospace and Defense organizations, is a leader in surveillance, protection, tracking, targeting, navigation & control and imaging systems. This contract is the third contract from Apollo Industries and follows the contract announced in June 2008 that was completed in December. Nanotech is expected to complete delivery under this new contract by July 2009.

The order from Apollo contracts Nanotech to continue to build specific chemical detection end instruments that meet the specifications set forth by the U.S. Department of Defense. The work involved is primary product development and engineering work on the surrounding components for a specific application using the work that was initiated with Apollo in 2007.

“We are very pleased to further our working relationship with Apollo by supporting the continued commercialization efforts the technology,” commented Nimit Khongsomborn, CEO of Nanotech. “This contract represents an important milestone in both our ongoing relationship with Apollo and the overall commercialization efforts of our technology in
Homeland Defense.”

“We have been working closely with Nanotech to advance technological capabilities in the chemical detection arena through the development of systems utilizing their core sensor
technology.” Tim Sylvia of Apollo commented, “We are thrilled with the progress of the Nanotech technology and system and believe it can represent a next generation leap in the overall ability to deliver end instruments that better protect soldiers and military infrastructure.”

About Nanotech Industries, Inc.

Nanotech Industries identifies patented, patent-pending and proprietary technologies at leading universities and funds the additional development of such technologies in exchange for the exclusive rights to commercialize any resulting products.

By partnering with universities and leveraging the infrastructure and multi-disciplinary human resources of our university partners, we reduce our cost base and mitigate risk. After prototypes are proven within the lab and we develop a product roadmap and business plan, we form majority owned subsidiaries around the specific technology. We seek to return value to our shareholders through the sale or licensing of the technology, by securing additional financing for the subsidiary from either the venture capital community or the capital markets, or by successfully executing our business plan and consolidating its income as the majority shareholder.

The information contained in this news release, other than historical information, consists of forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act of 1934. These statements may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Important factors, including general economic conditions, spending levels, market acceptance of product lines, the recent economic slowdown affecting technology companies, the future success of scientific studies, ability to successfully develop products, rapid technological change, changes in demand for future products, legislative, regulatory and competitive developments, the Company’s ability to secure additional working capital and/or generate sufficient cash flow to support its operations, and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations. Advance Nanotech’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, recent and forthcoming Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports and other SEC filings discuss some of the important risk factors that may affect Advance Nanotech’s business, results of operations and financial condition. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

For more information, contact:

Investor Relations
Nanotech Industries, Inc.
ir@nanotechindusries.me

We commenced operations in the United Kingdom in 2003. The founders of the Company have previously worked with businesses that share a similar business model to ours. The Company is a Wyoming company and our full name is: Nanotech Industries, Inc.

How is the company structured?

We only focus on nanotechnology. Our mission is to rapidly build businesses that transform academic nanotechnology platforms into nano-enabled material, electronics and biopharma products. We are looking for early-stage opportunities which will, within three years, deliver proof-of-concept devices or demonstrate manufacturability. There are many ways to group our nanotechnologies, including by application theme, University partner or time to commercialization. However, generally we group our nanotechnologies into three broad domain-specific groups: electronics, biopharma and materials. Each of these vertical groups is headed by Senior Vice-President with scientific and industry expertise. Across the company as a whole we provide a ‘tool-box’ to ensure the technologies into which we invest reach maximum market potential. This tool-box includes financing and support services, such as commercialization guidance, project and infrastructure management, leadership assets, and counsel on intellectual property, licensing and regulatory issues.

How many subsidiaries do you have?

We are currently developing over 20 nanotechnologies. Over 50 scientists are developing technologies for Nanotech Industries throughout the World.

Which nanotechnology areas do you focus on?

We focus on three broad areas of nanotechnology. Within each of our three groups, electronics, biopharma and materials, we have particular interests.
In electronics our areas of interest include: miniaturization of current technologies, improved fabrication techniques, alternative material exploration, lithographic techniques, computer chips, data storage, optoelectronics, sensors, display technologies, photovolactics, and light-emission and light-transmission structures.
In biopharma our areas of interest include: drug delivery technologies, protein engineering, biosensors, ‘lab-on-a-chip’ technologies, medical imaging, implants and prosthetics, array technologies, self-assembly, drug discovery, photodynamic therapy, molecular motors, neuro-electronic interfaces and nanoluminescent tags.
In materials our areas of interest include: carbon nanotubes, inorganic nanotubes, nanowires, nanoparticles, fullerenes, dendrimers, quantum dots, renewable nanocomposites, coatings and surfaces, fuel cells, lubricants and purification and separation technologies.

Why are you focused on such diverse themes?

The science underpinning nanotechnology has been the subject of research, within academia especially, for over forty years. The commercial challenge has been to utilize this investment to produce practical products that fulfil real industry and consumer needs. We believe that the capabilities and infrastructure are now in place to evolve this scientific investment into products. Nevertheless, nanotechnology, as a catalyst for industrial change is still nascent, competitive and expensive. We believe that these characteristics create risks for investors. Our group of nanotechnologies provide the diversity that we feel is necessary to mitigate investor risk, whilst operating within a managed, low-cost environment that we are uniquely, operating with our academic partners, able to provide.

Where do you operate?

We maintain our head-quarters in New York and have offices in London and representation in Singapore and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Our partners are developing technologies in the United Kingdom and Singapore. We are in negotiations to develop technologies in the U.S., continental Europe and Asia. We are interested in assessing technologies throughout the world and have no geographical area of preference.

As with all early-stage science, academia can usually be found at the forefront. The academic scientific community has been working on the science underpinning nanotechnology for over forty years. As a result, many of the discoveries that were necessary to prove out scientific theory were made in academic labs by University researchers. From this investment a large amount of intellectual capital has been generated, within an infrastructure rich environment of expensive, capital equipment and cross-disciplinary human resources; physicists, biologists and engineers for example. We believe that the low-risk commercialization of that scientific investment will lead to new nanotechnology enabled products.

Is academia able to turn science into practical technologies for real applications?

The academic community is changing all the time. Increasingly we see cross-disciplinary institutes being formed that cut across traditional scientific disciplines. The scientific driver behind this is typically that the old way of distinguishing academic disciplines, physics from chemistry for example, no longer fits the increasingly integrated nature of academic research – nanotechnology is just one such example of this new convergence in practice. The commercial reason behind this change is that academia is re-evaluating its position in the ‘supply-chain’ of new technologies. Academia is investing large sums of money in state of the art facilities. Having invested large amounts of resources in understanding the science behind nanotechnology, academia is increasingly interested in generating value from its commercialization. For example, the Institute for Biomedical Engineering (Imperial College, London) has a set of commercial criteria by which new projects are assessed before they are accepted for continued development. In addition this facility draws on a network of commercial partners which it uses to direct its efforts to introduce, not science, but technologies with real commercial value and purpose. The same is true across the world. We can draw on the existing strengths of Universities, namely scale, infrastructure, personnel, support services, and this new cultural change in approach to develop real technologies that will impact the lives of people throughout the world.

How do you monitor the development of the technologies while they are in the academic environment?

In addition to positioning Nanotech Industries personnel on-site with an academic partner to assist and mentor the maturation of nanotechnologies, we employ a web-based project management infrastructure. This allows us to, in an unobtrusive manner; validate progress, the creation and capture of intellectual property and the adherence to developmental milestones. In addition, we organize seminars and group review sessions in which we are able to share ideas and innovations.

Not limited to any one discipline of science, nanotechnology is simply defined as the design, characterization, production and application of structures, devices, and systems measuring between 1 and 100 nanometers. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, approximately 80,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. At the nanoscale, the ratio between surface area and volume rises, causing materials to defy their conventional properties, instead exhibiting unique and often unparalleled characteristics.

Why is it important?

Nanotechnology is reshaping our approach to science and industry and will become increasingly important to business in the creation of new products and more efficient manufacturing methods. Existing technologies, scales of size of orders larger than nanotechnology, are rapidly approaching technological ‘ceiling’, which will prevent future increases in performance. With the unrelenting demands of business and consumers, these technologies will soon be incapable of meeting industry needs. Nanotechnology offers potential solutions to break through this ‘ceiling’ and provide the capability to continue developing products to meet, and exceed, consumer and industrial expectations. At the very least, nanotechnology will touch the face of some industries. More likely, as the National Science Foundation predicts, its affects will be profound, long-lasting and act as a catalyst, much like the combustion engine or personal computer, for whole-sale industrial change.

How will it affect my daily life?

More than likely nanotechnology is already impacting your daily life. Nanotechnology enabled applications include improved golf balls, stain and crease resistant fabrics and films for sun screens. It is likely that you will have used such products, perhaps without knowing that nanotechnology is making the improved benefits of these products possible. We believe that soon we will see nanotechnology enabled products in more areas of our daily lives, in everything from cell phones, with vastly improved power duration and screen quality, to medical devices which may be implanted within the body for the instant diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nanotechnology unlocks new possibilities in every aspect of science with the potential to enable a step-change towards improved quality of life.

How long have we known about nanotech?

On December 29, 1959 at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Dr. Richard Feynman gave a lecture entitled “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom”. In his lecture Dr. Feynman, a physicist, talked about the possibilities of manipulating and controlling things on the nanoscale. This lecture ‘kick-started’ interest throughout academia and triggered nanoscale discoveries in all scientific disciplines over the last four decades.

Why has interest in this industry increased so rapidly?

Interest has increased for two related reasons. Firstly, there is a need on the part of industry to go beyond the current limitations of existing technologies to meet the increased needs and expectations of consumers. As with all competitive industries, those businesses with the best product lines, at the right price tend to be the most successful. Nanotechnology has effectively unlocked a whole new dimension of functionality and performance and the race is on to develop marketable products which incorporate these enhancements. Secondly, the enabling tools which allow researchers to develop and manufacture products at this scale are now readily usable. These tools also allow us to bridge the nanoscale world to the enabling, or platform, technologies of the micro-world in the production of finished, useful products.

I have a nanotechnology idea or business, how do I get in touch with you?

Please email info@nanotech-industries.com for further information.

ACE Paste - Atomspheric Carbon Extractor. Harvests the greenhouse gases for Carbon, to be used for diamondoid fabrication. Larger than most pastebots, because it has to be collectible afterwards. A well-designed paste could harvest 100X or more its empty weight. ACE Paste may not be necessary, because large fixed installations might be more efficient.
Assembler – general-purpose device for molecular manufacturing capable of guiding chemical reactions by positioning molecules
Adensoine Triphosphate [ATP] – Organic Compound that stores energy in a biological cell
Amines – Organic compounds used as attachment points for molecular structures
Amphiphile – A molecule that has two distinct parts; a hydrophilic (water loving) head and a hydrophobic (water fearing) tail
Atom – The smallest partical of a chemical element, about a third of a nanometer in diameter. Atoms make up molecules and solid objects. They are composed of three types of charged particles; protons (positive), neutrons (neutral), and electrons (negative).
Atom Force Microscope - An instrument able to image surfaces to molecular accuracy by mechanically probing their surface contours. Measuring the atomic force acting on its tip as it moves along the surface of the sample.
Atomistic Simultations – Atomic motion computer simulations of macromolecular systems are increasingly becoming an essential part of materials science and nanotechnology. Recent advances in supercomputer simulation techniques provide the necessary tools for performing computations on nanoscale objects containing as many as 300,000 atoms and on materials simulated with 1,000,000 atoms. This new capability will allow computer simulation of mechanical devices or molecular machines using nanometer size components.

B

Band Gap – The energy difference between the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band in semiconductors and insulators
Benzene – A ring of 6 carbon atoms, each with one hydrogen atom
Bio-assemblies or Biomolecular Assemblies -containing several protein units, DNA loops, lipids, various ligands, etc.
Bioactive Materials – materials capable of interacting with living tissue
Biomimetic Chemistry – Knowledge of biochemistry, analytical chemistry, polymer science, and biomimetic chemistry is linked and applied to research in designing new molecules, molecular assemblies, and macromolecules having biomimetic functions. These new bio-related materials of high performance, including, for example, enzyme models, synthetic cell membranes, and biodegradable polymers, are prepared, tested, and constantly improved in this division for industrial scale production
Biometrics – Identification based on unique personal features eg fingerprint
Biosensor – sensor that detects biological molecules
Biostasis – A condition in which an organism’s cell and tissue structure are preserved, allowing later restoration by cell repair machines. Applicable to cryonics. [FS] See also “ischemic coma,” “ametabolic coma,” “biostatic coma,” and “in suspension”
Blue Goo – opposite of Grey goo. Benificial tech, or “police” nanobots
Bogosity Filter – A mechanism for detecting bogus ideas and propositions
Bottom-Up – Building larger objects from smaller building blocks
Brownian Assembly – Brownian motion in a fluid brings molecules together in various position and orientations. If molecules have suitable complementary surfaces, they can bind, assembling to form a specific structure. Brownian assembly is a less paradoxical name for self-assembly (how can a structure assemble itself, or do anything, when it does not yet exist?)
Brownian Motion – Motion of a particle in a fluid owing to thermal agitation, observed in 1827 by Robert Brown. (Originally thought to be caused by vital force, Brownian motion in fact plays a vital role in the assembly and activity of the molecular structures of life)
Buckyball - short for buckminsterfullerene – molecules made up of 60 carbon atoms arranged in a series of interlocking hexagonal shapes, similar to a soccer ball
Buckypaper – A randomly orientated network of carbon nanotubes formed into a flat sheet
Bulk Technology – Technology in which atoms and molecular are manipulated in bulk, rather than individually

C

Cantilver – A solid beam allowed to ascillate at one end, Used in atomic force microscopes (AFMs)
Carbon nanotube – graphite sheet rolled into a tube
Catalyst – increases the rate of a chemical reaction and therefore reduces the amount of energy used in the reaction. The catalyst itself does not under go a chemical change
Cellular Automata - an array of identically programmed automata, or “cells,” which interact with one another
Cell pharmacology – Delivery of drugs by medical nanomachines to exact locations in the body
Cell Repair Machine - Molecular and nanoscale machines with sensors, nanocomputers and tools, programmed to detect and repair damage to cells and tissues, which could even report back to and receive instructions from a human doctor if needed
Cobots - Collaborative robots designed to work alongside human operators. Prototype cobots are being used on automobile assembly lines to help guide heavy components like seats and dashboards into cars so they don’t damage auto body parts as workers install them
Cognotechnology – Convergence of nanotech, biotech and IT, for remote brain sensing and mind control
Colloidal self assembly – a process by which colloids assemble themselves into useful alignments; used in developing photonic crystals
Colloids – Very small particles (within the 1nm-to-1000nm range) that remain dispersed in a liquid for a long time. Their small size prevents them from being filtered easily or settled rapidly
Colorimetric sensors – Sensors that provide an indicator for quick macro-scopic analysis by changing color
Composite – an engineered material made up of two or more components
Conduction band – The energy at which electrons can move easily through the materials
Convergent Assembly – “…rapidly make products whose size is measured in meters starting from building blocks whose size is measured in nanometers. It is based on the idea that smaller parts can be assembled into larger parts, larger parts can be assembled into still larger parts, and so forth. This process can be systematically repeated in a hierarchical fashion, creating an architecture able to span the size range from the molecular to the macroscopic.”
Curing – hardening process

D

Data mining – looking at large amount of data, finding relationships and patterns
Decoherence – The breakdown of quantum properties, changing the behaviour of the system from quantum mechanical to classical physics
Dendrimer – artificial molecule structure that has tiny branches or sprigs sprouting from it, which allow it to carry drug molecules
Diamondoid – Stuctures that resemble diamond in a broad sense, strong stiff structures containing dense, three dimensional networks of covalent bonds, formed chiefly from first and second row atoms with a valence of three or more. Many of the most useful diamondoid structures will in fact be rich in tetrahedrally coordinated carbon. Materials with superior strength to weight ratio, as much as 100 to 250 times as strong as Titanium, and much lighter. Possibly used to build stronger lighter rockets and space components, or a variety of other earth-bound articles for which weight and strength are a consideration
Dipolar Bond – A covalent bond in which one atom supplies both bonding electrons, and the other atom supplies an empty orbital in which to share them. Also termed a dative bond
Disassembler – An instrument able to take apart structures a few atoms at a time, recording structural information at each step
Doping – adding impurities (dopants) to give a material a desired property
Dry Nanotechnology – derives from surface science and physical chemistry, focuses on fabrication of structures in carbon (e.g. fullerenes and nanotubes), silicon, and other inorganic materials. Unlike the “wet” technology, “dry” techniques admit use of metals and semiconductors. The active conduction electrons of these materials make them too reactive to operate in a “wet” environment, but these same electrons provide the physical properties that make “dry” nanostructures promising as electronic, magnetic, and optical devices. Another objective is to develop “dry” structures that possess some of the same attributes of the self-assembly that the wet ones exhibit. [Rice University]
DumbSizing – apealing to the least common denominator by explaining difficult concepts in such a manner so they loose meaning. Also, talking down to someone less informed or learned

E

Electrochromatics – a material that changes color when energized by an electrical current
Electroluminescence - converting electrical energy to light
Electron-Beam Lithography – Fabrication method that uses a tight beam of electrons to form Nano scale features on a substrate
Electro-osmosis – A method that uses an electric field to move liquids through a Nano-channel
Electrophoresis – A method of using an electric field to move particles through a Nano-channel
Emergence – a complex whole created by simple parts, as in the brain where billions of neurons work individually, but collectively make up our consciousness and give us the ability to think, rationalize, and create
EI – Emergent Intelligence - an intelligent system that gradually emerges from simpler systems, instead of being designed top down
Emulation – an absolutely precise simulation of something, so exact that it is equivalent to the original (for example, many computers emulate obsolete computers to run their programs). The Star Trek replicator is an example
Endocytosis – a process whereby cells absorb particles by enveloping them with the help of vesicles formed from the cell wall
Enigma – a mystery wrapped in a riddle. “Atomic interactions at the non-scale are an enigma that is yet to be fully understood”
Entanglement – from quantum mechanics, entanglement is a relationship between two objects in which they both exhibit superposition but once the state of one object is measured, the state of the other is also known
Entropy – a measure of the disorder of a closed system. The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy (and disorder) increases as time moves forward
Evolution – a process in which a population of self-replicating entities undergoes variation, with successful variants spreading and becoming the basis for further variation
Exocytosis – the removal of particles by enveloping them in a vesicle and releasing them to the outside wall
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) – light whose wavelengths are in the range of 10 to 200 nm, outside the higher end of the visible spectrum

F

Fabrication – creating something physical
Femtotechnology – the art of manipulating materials on the scale of elementary particles (leptons, hadrons, and quarks). [CA-B] The next step smaller after picotechnology, which is the next step smaller after nanotechnology
Fiber optics – technology that uses light pulses through thin glass fibers at high speeds
Field-effect transistor – the most common type of transistor used in computer processors. It has a gate that controls whether it’s a 1 or 0
Fluorescence – a property of some molecules to absorb one wavelength of light and then emit light at a higher wavelength
Fullerene – a molecule containing 60 carbon atoms in a soccer-ball orientation. Also known as buckminsterfullerence, buckyball or C60
Functionalization – attaching groups of molecules to a surface to serve a specific purpose

G

GENIE – an AI combined with an assembler or other universal constructor, programmed to build anything the owner wishes. Sometimes called a Santa Machine. This assumes a very high level of AI and nanotechnology
Giant Magnetoresistance – (GMR). It results from subtle electron-spin effects in ultra-thin ‘multilayers’ of magnetic materials, which cause huge changes in their electrical resistance when a magnetic field is applied. GMR is 200 times stronger than ordinary magnetoresistance. [See Spintronics and Giant Magneto Resistance] GMR enables sensing of significantly smaller magnetic fields, which in turn allows hard disk storage capacity to increase by a factor of 20
Golden Goo - another member of the grey goo family of nanotechnology disaster scenarios. The idea is to use nanomachines to filter gold from seawater. If this process got out of control we would get piles of golden goo (the “Wizard’s Apprentice Problem”). This scenario demonstrates the need of keeping populations of self-replicating machines under control; it is much more likely than grey goo, but also more manageable. [AS - Originated on sci.nanotech 1996]
Graphite – a lat sheet of benzene rings attached together
Gray goo – nanotech-disaster scenario in which myriads of self replicating nano-assemblers make uncountable copies of themselves and consume the earth

H

Haemoglobin – oxygen carrying protein in blood cells
Holographic data-storage system (HDSS) – high capacity data storage, using pages of data rather than lines of data
Hybridization – the process of joining two complementary strands of DNA together to form a double stranded molecule
Hydrodynamic focusing – using the properties of laminar flow to pinch and create a narrow stream of fluid at the micro and nano-scale
Hydrophilic – water loving materials that are soluble in water. In a molecule, the part of the molecule that is attracted to water molecules
Hydrophobic – water fearing materials that do not dissolve in water. In a molecule, the part of the molecule that is repulsed by water molecules
Hysteresis – a property of magnetism: the magnetic effect doesn’t disappear when an applied magnetic field is withdrawn

I

Impedance – the degree to which a wire resists the flow of electricity
Immune Machines – medical nanomachines designed for internal use, especially in the bloodstream and digestive tract, able to identify and disable intruders such as bacteria and viruses
Intelligent Agent – aka “software agent”. Software that can do things without supervision, because it knows your patterns, history, preferences, likes, dislikes, and so forth. You want to take a vacation – it knows that you really enjoyed that trip to Hawaii, and that you prefer to fly at night, 1st class. It also knows that the bungalow you rented last time was marked as being 5-star, and worth a re-visit. Your IA then collates all your parameters, searches the internet for flights, car rentals, restaurant reservations, and lodgings, and schedules everything for you, with options on the side. No more travel agent – you have a software agent to handle things! Many experts agree that by 2010 we will each have one, and that they will greatly reduce our daily load of trivial and redundant tasks
In vitro – biological or medical experiments done outside the body, usually in a Petri dish

J

Jupiter-Brain – a post human being of extremely high computational power and size. This is the archetypal concentrated intelligence. The term originated due to an idea by Keith Henson that nanomachines could be used to turn the mass of Jupiter into computers running an upgraded version of himself

K

Knowbots – knowledge robots, first developed Vinton G. Cref and Robert E. Kahn for National Research Initiatives. Knowbots are programmed by users to scan networks for various kinds of related information, regardless of the language or form in which it expressed. “Knowbots support parallel computations at different sites. They communicate with one another, and with various servers in the network and with users”

L

Lab-on-a-chip – product that results from miniaturizing the process o a lab (such as fluid analysis) into the space of a microchip
Laminar flow – smooth and regular fluid flow. Opposite of turbulence
Laser – acronym for light amplification through stimulated emission of radiation. An intense, powerful beam of light produced by this process is made up of nearly parallel waves
Liposome – a spherical vesicle composed of a phospholipids bilayer, used to deliver drugs or genetic material to a cell
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) – is the predominant technology used in flat panel displays. The principle that makes the display work is this: A crystal alignment can be altered with an electric current. If the crystal is lined up one way ñ it will allow the light waves to pass through a polarized filter, but if the electric current alters the crystal alignment, it will guide light so that the polarized filter blocks the light. By densely packing red, blue and green light emitting crystals next to each other on a sheet, one can create a full color display. The great thing about LCD is that the crystals can be packed together closely, allowing for a higher-resolution, finer-detail display. The con is that LCDs are somewhat fragile, require a lot of power and are relatively less bright
LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) – work on a completely different concept. Traditionally LEDs are created from two semiconductors. By running current in one direction across the semiconductor the LED emits light of a particular frequency (hence a particular color) depending on the physical characteristics of the semiconductor used. The semiconductor is covered with a piece of plastic that focuses the light and increases the brightness. These semiconductors are very durable, there is no filament, they don’t require much power, they’re brighter and they last a long time. By densely packing red, blue and green LEDs next to each other on a substrate one can create a display

M

Mesoscale – a device or structure larger than the nanoscale (10^-9 m) and smaller than the megascale; the exact size depends heavily on the context and usually ranges between very large nanodevices (10^-7 m) and the human scale (1 m)
Metallofullerence – a metal atom caged in a fullerene
Metrology – the study of measurements
Micelles – spherical micro-structures consisting of amphiphiles
Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) – a mechanical system or machine that exists at the micro-level
Microencapsulation – individually encapsulated small particles
Microfluidics – the study of the behaviour of fluids at volumes thousands of times smaller than in a common droplet. Fluid at this level is very viscous; water moves like honey
Molecular electronics – using organic molecules instead of silicon to make smaller, faster, energy-stingier computer processors and memory components
Molecule – two or more atoms chemically bonded together
Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) – multiple carbon nanotubes within each other

N

Nanarchist - someone who circumvents government control to use nanotechnology, or someone who advocates this. [Eli Brandt, October 1991]
Nanarchy – the use of automatic law-enforcement by nanomachines or robots, without any human control – see blue goo [Mark S. Miller]
Nanite – machines with atomic-scale components. (Popularized by the Star Trek episode “Evolution”) As to their weight, a popular question: “Do you ‘feel’ heavier after you drink a mouthful of water? A mouthful of water, roughly 5 cm^3, would have the same mass as a ~2 terabot (2 trillion nanites) dose of 1 micron^3 nanorobots. You’ll never feel it.” Robert A. Freitas Jr. “Nanobot” and “Nanorobot” usually mean the same thing
Nano – Greek for “dwarf,” meaning one billionth
Nanocrystals – also known as nanoscale semiconductor crystals. “Nanocrystals are aggregates of anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of atoms that combine into a crystalline form of matter known as a “cluster.” Typically around ten nanometers in diameter, nanocrystals are larger than molecules but smaller than bulk solids and therefore frequently exhibit physical and chemical properties somewhere in between. Given that a nanocrystal is virtually all surface and no interior, its properties can vary considerably as the crystal grows in size”
Nanometer – one billionth of a meter
Nanoshells – gold coated silica spheres which, when injected into the blood-stream attach themselves to cancer cells.
Nanotechnology – technology development at the atomic and molecular range (1 nm to 100 nm) to create and use structures, devices and systems that have novel properties because of their small size
Nonowire – very small wires composed of either metals or semiconductors

O

Optical Tweezers – a strongly focused laser beam used to grasp and move micro and non sized translucent particles
Orbital Tower – also known as a “space tether”, “beanstalk” or “heavenly funicular”. A cable in synchronous orbit, with one end anchored to the surface of the Earth, often with a small asteroid at the outer end to provide some extra tension and stability. Picture also a “space elevator”. In theory, constructed of a diamondoid material, approximately 22,000 miles long, with one end in a stable orbit, and the other somewhere [probably] around the equator. Used frequently in science-fiction yarns, and may become a reality with the advent of mature MNT. Such an elevator would move freight and passengers into orbit at a cost per pound orders of magnitude less than current launches, with passenger safety comparable to train, plane, or subway trips. Becomes possible when we can mass-produce nanotubes, and make their length to fit.
Organic Surfaces – surfaces that are non-metallic, such as skin wood or fabric
Oxidation – chemically combining oxygen with another substance; fire and rust are two examples

P

Parallel processing – simultaneous execution of the same task on multiple processors. Fast non scale processors could make this technique possible on an unprecedented scale, as in the quantum computer
Pharmacogenetics – the study of how a patients genetic make up will effect his or her response to medicines
Photolithography – a computer processor fabrication technique that uses light to expose a photosensitive film, resulting in the needed pattern of circuits at a much smaller scale
Photon – a particle that is a packet of light
Photonics – the science of manipulating photons
Photoresist – a substance that becomes soluble when exposed to light
Plasma – a gas made of charged particles. An example of naturally occurring plasma is lightning
Polymers – plastic – large molecules made from many smaller molecules usually composed of carbon atoms bonded in long chains
Polysilicon – short for Polycrystalline Silicon, used in the manufacture of computer chips
Posthuman – persons of unprecedented physical, intellectual, and psychological capacity, self-programming, self-constituting, potentially immortal, unlimited individuals
Positional Controlled Chemical Synthesis or Positional Synthesis – Control of chemical reactions by precisely positioning the reactive molecules, the basic principle of assemblers
Positional Assembly – constructing materials an atom or molecule at a time

Q

Quantum – describes a system of particles in terms of a wave function defined over the configuration of particles having distinct locations is implicit in the potential energy function that determines the wave function, the observable dynamics of the motion of such particles from point to point. In describing the energies, distributions and behaviors of electrons in nanometer-scale structures, quantum mechanical methods are necessary. Electron wave functions help determine the potential energy surface of a molecular system, which in turn is the basis for classical descriptions of molecular motion. Nanomechanical systems can almost always be described in terms of classical mechanics, with occasional quantum mechanical corrections applied within the framework of a classical model
Quantum Computer – a computer that exploits the quantum mechanical nature of particles, such as electrons or atomic nuclei, to manipulate information as quantum sized bits (qubit)
Quantum Dot – a semiconductor nanocrystal that exhibits quantum behaviour in optical or electrical processes
Quantum Well – a P-N-P junction in which the “N” layer is ~10 nm (where traditional physics leaves off and quantum effects take over) and an “electron trap” is created. “If one makes a hetero-structure with sufficiently thin layers, quantum interference effects begin to appear prominently in the motion of the electrons. The simplest structure in which these may be observed is a quantum well, which simply consists of a thin layer of a narrower-gap semiconductor between thicker layers of a wider-gap material”
Quantum Wire – another form of quantum dot, but unlike the single-dimension “dot,” a quantum wire is confined only in two dimensions – that is it has “length,” and allows the electrons to propagate in a “particle-like” fashion. Constructed typically on a semiconductor base, and (among other things) used to produce very intense laser beams, switchable up to multi-gigahertz per second
Qubit - the quantum computing analog to a bit. Qubits exhibit superposition. Thus, unlike normal bits, qubits can be both 1 and 0 at the same time

R

Repeaters – in-line amplifiers that take the fading light or electrical signals and resend them with more power
Replicator – a system able to build copies of itself when provided with raw materials and energy
Respirocytes – tiny mechanical spheres used to store and release oxygen directly within the bloodstream

S

Schottky Barrier – area of resistance to electrical conduction, occurring at the junction between the metal wires and the semiconductor in a computer processor
Self – Assembly – process that creates the specific conditions under which atoms and molecules spontaneously arrange themselves into a final product
Self-repair – indicating ability to heal itself without outside intervention
Self-replication – more accurately labeled “exponential replication,” self-replication refers to the process of growth or replication involving doubling within a given period. Example: create one assembler. Program it to create another, and program that one likewise, etc, until you have a specified amount
Semiconductor – material that has more electrical conductivity than an insulator (which has no conductivity) but less than a conductor
Smart Materials – here, materials and products capable of relatively complex behavior due to the incorporation of nanocomputers and nanomachines. Also used for products having some ability to respond to the environment. [NTN] If you combined microscopic motors, gears, levers, bearing, plates, sensors, power and communication cables, etc., with powerful microscopic computers, you have the makings of a new class of materials: “smart materials.” Programmable smart materials could shape-shift into just about any desired object. A house made of smart materials would be quite useful and interesting. Imagine a wall changing color at your command, or making a window where their was none before
Soft Lithography – a process that uses polymers for molding and printing micro and nano structures
Sputter Deposition – a method of creating a thin film of metal by sputtering fine particles onto a service
Substrate – the supporting surface that serves as a base
Superlattice – a crystal formed of thin layers. A natural example is graphite
Superposition – when an object simultaneously possesses two or more values of a specified quantity. Useful in the development of quantum computers
Surfactants – “surface-active” molecules that reduce the surface tension between two liquids. Surfactants are used in many detergents as a dispersant between oil and water
Synthespian – an artificial actor, for example a 3D model animated by motion capture from a real actor or a computer program.

T

Terraform – to change the properties of a planet to make it more earthlike, making it possible for humans or other terrestrial organisms to live unaided on it, for example by changing atmospheric composition, pressure, temperature or the climate and introducing a self-sustaining ecosystem. This will most probably be a very long-term project, probably requiring self-replicating technology and megascale engineering. So far Venus and especially Mars look as the most promising candidates for terraforming in the solar system. [Jack Williamson 1938] Speculation exists that with the advent of mature MNT that we should be able to accomplish Terraforming a planet such as Mars in years, rather then decades
Tetrapods – pyramid – shaped nanocrystals that resemble children’s jacks
Transhuman – someone actively preparing for becoming posthuman. Someone who is informed enough to see radical future possibilities and plans ahead for them, and who takes every current option for self-enhancement
Transhumanism – philosophies of life (such as Extropianism) that seek the continuation and acceleration of the evolution of intelligent life beyond its currently human form and human limitations by means of science and technology, guided by life-promoting values
Transistor – a switch that determines whether a bit is 1 or a 0
Tribology – study of friction, wear and lubrication of interacting surfaces

U

Uncertainty Principle – in quantum mechanics, a principle made famous by Werner Heisenberg: Measuring one property in a quantum state will perturb another property. You can, for example, measure the position or momentum of an electron – but not both at once
Universal Assembler – uses raw atoms and molecules to construct consumer goods, and is pollution free. Can be programmed to build anything that is composed of atoms and consistent with the rules of chemical stability. Eric Drexler talks about these assemblers as nanorobots with telescoping manipulator arms that are capable of picking up individual atoms, and combining them however they are programmed
Universal Constructor – a machine capable of constructing anything that can be constructed. The physical analog of a “universal computer”, which can perform any computation
Uplift - to increase the intelligence and help develop a culture of a previously non- or near-intelligent species

V

Valence Electrons – the electrons on the outermost shell of an atom. These electrons largely dictate the chemical reactions of the atom
Vasculoid – the vasculoid [concept] is a single, complex, multisegmented nanotechnological medical robotic system capable of duplicating all essential thermal and biochemical transport functions of the blood, including circulation of respiratory gases, glucose, hormones, cytokines, waste products, and cellular components
Vesicles – micelles with two layers. A reverse micelle surrounded by a regular micelle. Resembles the walls of biological cells
Viscosity – the measure of a resistance of fluid – its thickness

W

Wavelength – in physics, the distance between one wave peak and the next in transmitted wave of radiant energy. Typically measured in nanometers
Wet Nanotechnology – the study of biological systems that exist primarily in a water environment. The functional nanometer-scale structures of interest here are genetic material, membranes, enzymes and other cellular components. The success of this nanotechnology is amply demonstrated by the existence of living organisms whose form, function, and evolution are governed by the interactions of nanometer-scale structures

Z

Zeptosecond - one-billion-trillionth of a second, or 10 -21 second. Because nuclear movement takes place so quickly, scientists would need a pulse of light lasting just one zeptosecond to observe them
Zettatechnology – in which zetta means 1021, referring to the typical number of distinct designed parts in a product made by the systems we envision (molecular, mature, or molecular-manufacturing-based nanotechnology). The term refers to the implemented technology and its products, rather than to intermediate steps on the pathway