VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1, JANUARY 2001 © Copyright 2001 by the American Chemical Society
Editorial Welcome to Nano Letters Dear Reader, Welcome to the new American Chemical Society journal devoted to nanoscience and -technology. A natural enough question is, why should an area of science, or a journal for that matter, be identified with a particular length scale? What is so special about the nanometer scale that it warrants so much attention? Chemistry as a science is dedicated to the control of the composition of matter on all length scales, but in the past, the greatest triumphs of chemistry have been in controlling the arrangements of atoms within molecules. The patterning of matter on much larger length scales, a few tenths of a micron and greater, can of course be accomplished with several methods, especially with lithographic techniques. Until recently, there has been a gap in our ability to control the composition of matter on the nanometer scale. In our time, the size and complexity of the molecules we can design and make is increasing to encompass many tens, hundreds, even thousands of atoms. At the same time, the ability to pattern matter using lithographic and scanning probe manipulation techniques has also been extended down to the nanometer scale. This convergence of the top-down and bottom-up approaches at the nanometer scale marks the first time in history when it appears within reach to design a macroscopic functional material by controlling the composition of matter on every length scale from the atom up. Many important properties of materials are controlled or limited by behavior on the nanometer scale, and so there is great opportunity in this area. This very first issue of Nano Letters illustrates the breadth and depth of the possible impact. Described within are advances in the synthesis of advanced photonic and electronic materials, lithographic patterning of a heterogeneous catalyst and of biological motors, the use of organic dendrimers as catalysts and for delivery of antimicrobial agents, the use of DNA for programmed nanoconstruction, the remarkable result that mesoporous silica with nanometer width channel walls is harder than bulk silica, and more. The applications are diverse, but they emerge from the common theme of control of matter on the nanometer scale. While there is great excitement about the possibilities opening up before us, it is also clear that we should be cautious and patient. Many of the great things we as a community want to accomplish are very hard to do and will take a great deal of effort and perhaps also a great deal of time. We need a journal to document the advances and the difficulties along the way and to provide a forum for debate. This journal will be broad in outlook and inclusive. We especially welcome our colleagues from other disciplines, including Physics, Biology, Materials Science, Geology, and Electrical, Mechanical, and Biological Engineering. Nano Letters welcomes contributions ranging from fundamental properties of nanoscale building blocks, to methods of assembly, to the properties of complete systems. I thank the authors and the members of editorial board, as well as the remarkable ACS staff for their help in putting this first issue together, and I look forward to seeing this field of science and this journal develop together.
Paul Alivisatos Editor NL0001914 10.1021/nl0001914 CCC: $20.00 Published on Web 11/28/2000
© 2001 American Chemical Society
