Physics · Ch 11 — Recent Developments in Physics
Interdisciplinary nature of Nanotechnology
Interdisciplinary nature of Nanotechnology
Nanoscience and nanotechnology is not a standalone subject -- it is an interdisciplinary field sitting at the overlap of several established disciplines, each contributing its own tools and knowledge:
- Materials science -- characterizing and engineering the nanostructured materials themselves.
- Molecular biology -- since many of nature's own nanostructures (DNA, cell components) are biological.
- Electrical and mechanical engineering -- for building the instruments and devices that manipulate and use nanostructures.
- Applied mathematics and computer science -- for modelling nanoscale behaviour and designing structures computationally.
- Chemistry -- since nanomaterial synthesis is fundamentally a chemical (and physical) process.
- Physics -- which supplies the underlying laws (quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics) that govern nanoscale behaviour in the first place. …
What this figure shows. Two overlapping elliptical rings, drawn like electron orbits around a nucleus labelled 'Nano Technology' at the centre, pass through six labelled 'electron' nodes: Materials science, Molecular Biology, Applied Mathematics and computer science, Physics, Chemistry, and Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. The image visually argues that nanotechnology is not a standalone subject but the interdisciplinary meeting point of all six of these established fields, each contributing technique …