Editing Nanomaterials and the Architecture of the Atomic Lattice (section)

== <span style="color: #FFFFFF;">Understanding</span> ==
Nanomaterials are understood through '''the exploitation of the quantum confinement''' and '''the horror of the toxicological unknown'''.

'''The Exploitation of the Quantum Confinement''': In bulk materials (like a copper wire), electrons roam freely in a massive sea. In a nanoparticle, the physical size of the object is actually smaller than the wavelength of the electron's quantum wavefunction. The electron is physically crushed into a tiny space. This "Quantum Confinement" forces the energy levels of the material to become discrete (stepped) rather than continuous. By simply adding or removing 10 atoms from a Quantum Dot, a chemist can perfectly, mathematically tune the exact color of light it emits, or the exact voltage it conducts, completely rewriting the periodic table of elements through pure geometry.

'''The Horror of the Toxicological Unknown''': A block of solid titanium is completely biologically inert; it is safe. But if you inhale titanium nanoparticles, they are so incomprehensibly small they do not just enter your lungs; they pass directly through your lung tissue, enter your bloodstream, cross the blood-brain barrier, and lodge deep inside your cerebral cortex. Because nanoparticles are incredibly reactive and have massive surface areas, we have absolutely no idea what they do inside human biology over 20 years. Nanotechnology has vastly outpaced Nanotoxicology. We are currently weaving carbon nanotubes into consumer products without knowing if inhaling them causes a biological reaction identical to deadly asbestos.
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