Nanotechnology 

from research 

to manufactured products 

The nanotube  discovered 1991.

In 1995, 

it was recognized that carbon nanotubes were 

excellent sources of field-emitted electrons. 

In contrast, 

the period of time between the modeling of the semiconducting property 

of germanium in 1931 and the first commercial product 

(the transistor radio)     was 23 years.

 From 23 years to less than   5.

Nanoscale science was enabled by 

advances in microscopy, 

most notably the 

electron, scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopes. 

These escalated progress by quantum leaps.

Learn More

http://www.ipt.arc.nasa.gov/