As previous chapters have shown, new technologies now exist to manipulate matter down to the atomic scale. Material properties at these scales differ from those of bulk systems as different physical processes become relevant. Nanotechnology is based on engineering these new properties into useful devices. These capabilities are already having a significant technological impact on many disciplines, from consumer electronics and information technology to optical communications to biology.

Where is this all going? Is reality going to live up to the early hype surrounding nanotechnology? Will nanoscale engineering lead to a new industrial revolution, enabling solutions to many of the major problems facing humanity? Alternatively, will practitioners of this new science and engineering meta discipline bring forth “a nightmarish, dystopic future too small to see” (The Onion [942])? In this chapter we look briefly at two particular areas: nanotechnology's potential impact on humanity's energy crisis, and the potential dangers of these new capabilities. Disclaimer: more so than the rest of this book, this chapter is a bit of an opinion piece, and should be viewed as such.

Nanotechnology and energy

Humanity faces, in very real terms, an energy crisis, though there are political disagreements on the extent of the problem. The per capita demand for energy, both for transportation and electricity, of the “first world” nations is vast and growing. Moreover, as economic development spreads over the planet, increasing portions of the global populace are experiencing higher standards of living (generally agreed to be a good thing), and a corresponding increase in energy demands. There are very serious questions about the sustainability of this trajectory, in terms of economic and environmental impact. There are also certainly negative consequences for the species if we are unable to continue raising the global standard of living.