Concerns and Challenges of Nanotechnology

One of the most oft quoted but extremely important sayings can be traced to the late physicist Richard A Feynmann. The expression “There is plenty of room at the bottom”, captured the minds of generations of scientists and triggered a whole new science and revolutionary technology. Nearly five decades after Feynman's lecture, nanotechnology enhanced products are increasingly used in routine as well as high-end cutting-edge technology applications. More exciting possibilities exist in biomedical, energy and environmental related applications. Nanoengineered materials have witnessed extensive application in pollution control, purification and desalination of water and in effective waste management of hazardous by-products. It is a popular belief that the nano-revolution is set to have a far larger global econo-techno-political impact than the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century or the information technology revolution of the twentieth century.