Nanotechnology ― Delivering on the Promise

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 investing heavily in nanotechnology. It started the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) in 2000, 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.

H. N. Cheng (Ph.D., University of Illinois) is currently a research chemist at Southern Regional Research Center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in New Orleans, where he works on projects involving improved utilization of commodity agricultural materials, green chemistry, and polymer reactions.

Laurence J. Doemeny (Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara) is retired from the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He spent his career at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in various research and management capacities.

Charles L. Geraci (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is Associate Director for Nanotechnology, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). He has 40 years of Industrial Hygiene practice experience, including Director of a regional laboratory for DataChem Laboratories; Associate Director of HS&E at the Procter & Gamble Company; and Director of Industrial Hygiene for two consulting firms.

Diane Grob Schmidt (Ph.D., University of Cincinnati), the 2015 ACS President, was an Executive at The Procter & Gamble Company, where she served as a R&D Section Head for 17 years. She retired from P&G in 2014 and is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati.