March 2009

Nano Days (USA), March 28 - April 5, 2009

Nanotechnology has had a significant impact on automotive safety. Faster, smaller computer chips are used to control automotive safety devices such as airbags. Nanotechnology has introduced materials that allow vehicles to be built stronger and lighter, meeting both safety and environmental demands. Nano Days is a nationwide celebration of nano science and technology.

Nano, derived from the Greek word for dwarf, is one billionth of something. The nanoscale ranges from approximately 1 nanometer (nm) to 100 nanometers. The scale excludes individual atoms on the lower end and things you can see with a very good optical microscope on the upper end. Size matters! To visualize how small this is look at an average sheet of paper. It is about 100,000 nanometers thick.

To see some of the ways in which applications of nanotechnology may change the world, click here.