Nanotechnology can be defined as the science of manipulating matter at the nanometer scale in order to discover new properties and possibly produce new products. For the past 30 years, a considerable amount of scientific interest and R&D funding devoted to nanotechnology has led to rapid developments in all areas of science and engineering, including chemistry, materials, energy, medicine, biotechnology, agriculture, food, electronic devices, and consumer products. In the U.S. alone, the federal government has spent more than $22 billion in nanotechnology research since 2001. The global funding of nanotechnologies was estimated to be about $7 billion in 2011 and has increased about 20% per year since then, according to various studies. Already some products have appeared in the marketplace and more will certainly come in the future. A possible concern is the health, safety, and environmental impact of some of these products.

The U.S. is certainly investing heavily in nanotechnology. It started the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) about 16 years ago, pulling together the efforts of 20 federal departments and independent agencies. This book contains a wealth of information on research, product development, commercialization, and regulatory issues related to nanotechnology.