Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea [Paperback]

Nanotech for everyone! The friendly, non-technical guide to the next industrial revolution.

• Discover the world's next $1 trillion industry!
• The easy-to-understand guide to nanoscale technology, science, business, and ethics
• Today's hottest nanotech research and tomorrow's hottest applications
• Nanobots, quantum and DNA computing, nanosensors, neuro-electronic interfaces, and much more
• Insider's assessment of the nanotechnology marketplace and investment opportunities

By 2015, nanotechnology could be a $1 trillion industry. Now, renowned nanotech pioneer Mark Ratner and technology entrepreneur Daniel Ratner show you how nanotech works, why it's so exciting, what's new, and what's next. They survey the entire field—technology and business—covering nanobots, molecular electronics, quantum computing, biostructures, nanotubes, molecular motors, nanosensors, and many other breakthrough applications. They provide easy-to-understand explanations of every key concept, plus dozens of visuals that bring nanotechnology to life. Coverage includes:

• A simple, brief, almost math-free introduction to nanotech science
• "Grand tour" of nanotech R&D, from "smart materials" to DNA computing
• Breakthrough biomedical applications, including neuro-electronic interfaces and new drug delivery systems
• Current and emerging nanotech systems for optoelectronics and communications
• Nanotech here and now: nano-enhanced tennis balls, suntan lotions, and other products already in the market
• A realistic assessment of nanotech investment opportunities for the short- and long-term
• Ethical issues associated with nanotech research and product development

MARK RATNER, winner of the 2001 Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology, is Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor in Chemistry at Northwestern University. He is widely credited as the "father of molecular-scale electronics"—thanks to his groundbreaking work with Ari Aviram that first envisioned how electronic circuit elements might be constructed from single molecules and how these circuits might behave. Ratner is a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. He lectures worldwide on nanotechnology and its implications.

DANIEL RATNER, an engineer and tech entreprenteur, has founded two successful technology startup companies, serves as industry advisor to several other high-tech ventures, and was recently awarded the prestigious "30 Under 30" entrepreneurs' award by Philly Tech magazine.