China: A Big Player in a Small World

Nanoscience and nanotechnology measure and manipulate matter on the nanometer scale, 10–9 meters. To put that in scale, the diameter of a human hair and the thickness of one sheet of newspaper are each about 100,000 nm. It is very, very, very small! Although nano as a concept is still unknown to most nonscientists around the world, the Chinese public is already enraptured with the nano concept. Nanomaterials show new, unusual, and sometimes totally different properties compared to their bulk ones. Nanosized gold displays tunable colors, a lower melting point, and surprising catalytic activity. In fact, nano is already embedded throughout our day-to-day lives. Sunscreens with high sun protection factor (SPF) generally contain TiO2 or ZnO nanoparticles to absorb ultraviolet (UV) light. In nature, the strength of our teeth, lotus leaves’ ability to self-clean, and the superadhesion of gecko feet are all attributed to unique micro/nanostructures.