Book Review

Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea
By Mark A. Ratner & Daniel Ratner
Published by Prentice Hall

Nanotechnology once conjured images of science fiction with the creation of products at the subatomic level. That was a few years ago, today it continues to creep into the headlines of newspapers and on TV talk shows. For the record, nanotechnolgy is the study of the fundamental principles of molecules and structures. So nano can build not only small things but also the smallest solid things ever made.

We are becoming more comfortable with the potential for a seismic shift in science and engineering. It actually has the potential of revolutionizing most aspects of the physical world.

But why should you care? Mark and Daniel Ratner in their new book, “Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea,” spells out how this scientific revolution could send shock waves through the business and investment worlds, too. Simply, nano is big business. The National Science Foundation predicts that nanotechnology will be a $1 trillion industry by 2015. For the record, big business is already onto nano as a top priority at IBM, HP and NEC.  

The Ratners point out in layman’s terms that even smaller companies are steeping into the nano ring. In addition, private equity spending has already reached more than $2 million a year. Nano skin creams and suntan lotions are already on the market as well as a nano-constructed tennis ball that supposedly lasts longer. 

The authors focus on the state of the art and analyzes where it could be in the future. If you’ve taken high school or college chemistry, you have sufficient background to understand the book. 

A professor of chemistry at Northwestern University, M. Ratner is the winner of the 2001 Feynman prize in Nanotechnology. D. Ratner is an engineer and entrepreneur who has founded successful high tech start ups. 

Private investors, who have knowledge of nanotechnology, might look to this next Industrial Revolution as fertile investment grounds.

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