Nanotechnology is science, engineering, or technology at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers. It originated with the goal of being able to manipulate one atom or molecule at a time. Semiconductor manufacturing processes now routinely operate in this range.
Nanotechnology has potential applications in healthcare, personal care, biomaterials, medicine, electronics, chemicals and areas yet to be explored. An example is the improvement of solar cell efficiency using ‘nanopillars’ – a nanoscale material type which can be used for bulk applications.