Nanoarchitectonics
Nanoarchitectonics
Arrangement of nanoscale structural units into desired configurations
Nanoarchitectonics is a technology allowing to arrange nano-sized structural units, usually a group of atoms or molecules, in an intended configuration. It employs two major processes: nano-creation and nano-organization. Nano-organization involves re-arrangement of the structural units in a desired pattern, while nano-creation is synthesis of new materials that do not exist in nature. For example, by peeling atomic sheets off graphite slab, a novel nano-material graphene can be obtained, which has very different properties from graphite.
Nanoarchitectonics is not limited to nano-creation and nano-organization, but rather employs those techniques to understand and use the ultimate functions of materials. The important technologies to achieve this goal involve manipulation of single atoms and molecules through physical interactions, chemical reactions, applied fields, or self-assembly.