Nano- is a prefix that was introduced at the Union Internationale de Chimie in 1947, though it came into more general use in the 1960s. We will examine the definition of the prefix nano-, how it is used, and some examples of that use in sentences.
Nano- was coined in 1947 to mean a unit that is one thousand-millionth part in measurement, such as a nanometer. In time, the prefix nano- has come to also mean something that is submicroscopic in size, such as a nanotube. The field devoted to manipulating matter at the atomic and subatomic level is known as nanotechnology, a term coined by K. Eric Drexler in 1986. The concepts used in nanotechnology were first put forward by physicist Richard Feynman in 1959. Nanotechnology may be used in many different fields, including medicine and electronics. The prefix nano- comes from the Greek word nano, which means dwarf or little old man.
Examples
Indian Institute of Science researchers have developed a highly sensitive nanometre-scale carbon monoxide sensor by employing an innovative fabrication technique. (The Hindu)
Nanotubes have diameters as small as 1 nanometer and lengths up to several centimeters, and their unique physical properties have opened up a whole new world of technologies. (R & D Magazine)
A team of space engineers have built a nanobot that can be controlled and played within an AR environment by gamers from earth. (The International Business Times)
In the future, nanocar technology may have practical applications in medicine, such as a vehicle for delivering medicine to a specific location in the human body. (The Japan Times)
Working in close collaboration with the research group led by Christian P. R. Hackenberger at the FMP Berlin, Professor of Chemical Biology at the Humboldt University of Berlin, the inter-disciplinary team has now, for the first time, managed to permeate living cells with small antibodies, also called nanobodies, and observe them microscopically. (Science Daily)