Public scientific information publications

Nanomonde: Des nanosciences aux nanotechnologies
Roger Moret - CNRS Edition

What is the nanoworld?
It is the world of objects that are approximately 10,000 smaller than a hair. At the nanometre (one billionth of a metre) scale some phenomena and effects are unexpected, and sometimes fascinating.
Why is the prefix nano- increasingly related to sciences and technologies? Is it really a scientific revolution and a technological breakthrough, as some people say? Or is it, more simply, a new stage in the evolution towards miniaturisation?
This book presents the nanoworld and answers these questions without using difficult scientific concepts or complex technical words. It presents a wide array of applications, ranging from electronics to medicine, through environmental protection to energy saving. Some of these applications can already be found around us and there is a huge potential for development of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Our societies will have to make some choices to ensure that these developments are balanced and controlled. This book, which is written for a wide readership, hopes to contribute to the information available on these new societal challenges.