Nanotechnology is a topic that spans a range of science and engineering disciplines. It takes place at on a tiny scale - larger than the level of atoms and molecules, but within the range of 1-100 nm. The nanometer scale is about a billionth of a meter and things this small can behave quite weirdly. These unusual physical and chemical characteristics come about because there is an increase in surface area compared to volume as particles get smaller and also because they are subject to quantum effects. This means they can behave in different ways and do not follow the same laws of physics that larger objects do.