Question: what is nanoscience

Philippa Bird answered on 26 Jun 2012:

Great question!
Nanoscience is the science of really tiny particles, a nanometre is a billionth of a metre (imagine a billion pound coins in a huge tower and how big that is and then one pound coin next to it, quite a difference!). “Nanoparticles” have lots of advantages over the big versions of things because they usually have enhanced chemical and physical properties. So gold, for example, is inert in bulk, but very reactive as a nanoparticle. It’s to do with the vast surface area of tiny particles.
Nanoscience has absolutely loads of uses in the world, and many more are being created.

Here is a list of things it is being researched for:
Better solar panels
Bigger memory storage in computers
More effective medical treatments (including nanoparticles that can tell when you’re ill and automatically release a drug)
Catalysts in cars
Make carbon dioxide into more useful things
Stem cell therapies (scaffolds to put stem cells onto)
Making planes lighter and stronger

Nanotechnology is already used in:
Plasters, silver nanoparticles, antibacterial
Suncream, titanium dioxide nanoparticles, absorbs sunlight
Smart phones and computers
Pregnancy tests
Self-cleaning surfaces, such as windows
Scratch-resistant coatings

So you can see… from important big things to just useful things, Nanotechnology has it covered!