The Nanotech Pioneers: Where Are They Taking Us [Hardcover]

Steven A. Edwards (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 3527312900 | ISBN-13: 978-3527312900 | Publication Date: March 21, 2006 | Edition: 1

Hype, hope, or horror? A vivid look at nanotechnology, written by an insider and experienced science writer.

The variety of new products and technologies that will spin out of nanoscience is limited only by the imagination of the scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs drawn to this new field. Steve Edwards concentrates on the reader's self interest: no military gadgets, wild fantasies of horror nanobot predators and other sci-fi stuff, but presents a realistic view of how this new field of technology will affect people in the near future. He is in close contact with many pioneers in nanotechnology, and includes their backgrounds to allow readers, especially college students considering a career in the field, to better imagine themselves in such positions. However, technology does not develop in a vacuum, and this book also looks at the social, political and economic changes attendant upon the development of nanotechnology.

For the science-interested general public as well as chemists, students, lecturers, chemical organizations, materials scientists, journalists, politicians, industry, physicists, and biologists.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"…a very readable book with some interesting insights into the 'nanotech pioneers' leading the way." (CHOICE, September 2006)

"...author has ...taken time to talk to leaders in the field...the book is full of interesting quotes and analogies."  (Chemistry World, May 2006)

From the Back Cover

The nanometer scale is where physicists, chemists, biologists, materials scientists and engineers met to create a new technology - nanotechnology. Scarcely imagined a few decades ago, it will certainly dominate the 21st century and affect our lives in ways not yet fully predictable. By definition, nanotech is far too small to be visible to the human eye, and so its effects may well catch us by surprise.

Although nanotech still has a science-fiction aura, there are actually consumer products already available which employ nanotech - sunscreen, paint, tennis balls, non-staining fabrics, and some recently approved drugs.

The variety of new products and technologies that will spin out of nanoscience is limited only by the imagination of the scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs drawn to this new field - the Nanotech Pioneers. Steve Edwards presents nanotechnology and its leading makers in an easily understandable fashion, suited for all readers regardless of academic background, but with enough facts and details to separate the hype from the real nanotech that is just around the next corner:

• superior materials - stronger, lighter, harder, better
• smart drugs that specifically target infected or malicious cells
• life-like prosthetics, such as limb, joint or organ replacements, even artificial eyes
• brain/computer interfaces
• new computer architectures with immense capacities and abilities
• new kinds of power sources that lessen our fossil fuel dependence

With this book, Steven Edwards brings nanotechnology closer to the science-interested general public as well as scientists, students, organizations, journalists, politicians, and entrepreneurs.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 257 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-VCH; 1 edition (March 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3527312900
• ISBN-13: 978-3527312900
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.7 x 9.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,290,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best History of Nanotechnology Ever Written, April 6, 2006

By 

NanoMan - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Nanotech Pioneers: Where Are They Taking Us (Hardcover)

As the author of "Nanotech Fortunes" and the managing director of Nanotechnology.com, I can say without fear of contradiction that Steve Edwards' book is the best history of nanotechnology ever written. In fact, it might be mis-titled. Perhaps it should be simply called "The History of Nanotechnology"?

That might make it seem "dry" and boring, but Edwards has written an intriguing, insightful, almost downright chatty and extremely personal as well as personable history BY FOCUSING ON THE KEY INDIVIDUALS and their totally incredible contributions.

The book benefits from the fact that Mr. Edwards is actually DR. EDWARDS and a trained nanoscientist in his own right.

What could be better? - a wonderful story, told by someone who is witty, writes well, is at home with an awful lot of the "true insider" perspective, CAN EXPLAIN IT SIMPLY TO FOLKS WHO CAN'T REMEMBER HIGH SCHOOL CHEMISTRY and actually knows what he's talking about!

More of his knowledge and wit are shared at BlogNano.com.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great history and insight, July 4, 2007

By 

Collinjc (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Nanotech Pioneers: Where Are They Taking Us (Hardcover)

Nanotechnology is everyone's "in" topic, the word whispered to the graduate at the pool party. Steve Edwards is eminently qualified to take us on a delightful tour that links past, present and future in this fascinating yet poorly understood world. His career, from his graduate work in biochemistry at one of the world's leading research institutions through periods of research, teaching and consulting, has placed him in unique perspective to be our guide and to help us enjoy the journey.

The skeleton of Dr. Edwards's book is a collection of historical and biographical sketches of leaders in the conceptual and developmental world of nanotechnology. In these interesting vignettes, many of them derived from personal experience and exposure, we also gain insight into much of the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology itself. Discussions of nanoinstrumentation, nanoparticle configurations, nanoscience in nature, and applications to electronics, medicine, energy, and the emerging world of commercialization of nanoscience, each worthy of increased contemplation and study, unfold in well-placed historical and scientific contexts.

The discussions culminate in a superb presentation of ethical issues related to nanotechnology, where common concerns are laid out, where in the words of the hymn "our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares," and end with a call to a cautious but confident walk into the future.

Frequent, clear illustrations and photos add interest and understanding to the book. However, typographical and grammatical errors are also frequent. This book deserves a better editorial reading than it received.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars broad, promising scope, May 28, 2007

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Nanotech Pioneers: Where Are They Taking Us (Hardcover)

It's a well summarised look at the breadth of the nanotech field. Commencing with speculations by Richard Feynman in 1959 about how small devices could ultimately be made. Well before Gordon Moore wrote his observations in a paper that would be the basis of Moore's Law.

Edwards goes on to describe companies and researchers currently engaged in such tasks as fabricating carbon nanotubes. Or finding novel uses for the Atomic Force Microscope, like dip pen nanolithography. Where the AFM can trace out patterns on a surface in controlled manner. Quantum dots also make an appearance. Along with the buckyball (C60) and its variants.

A very topical chapter speculates on how nanotech products might aid the production, storage or transmission of energy. Of these, perhaps the use of quantum dots in LEDs that would replace incandescent light bulbs is the low hanging fruit. While improved solar panels are another potentially vast market.