Glossary

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Artificial intelligence: the use of programs to enable machines to perform tasks which humans perform using their intelligence.

Biocidal: having the property of inactivating pathogens

Biocompatible: Material that the body generally accepts without a major immune response. Capable of implantation in biological systems, for example, tissue implantation, without causing excessive fibrosis or rejection reactions.

Buckyball: geodesic spheres named for visionary engineer R. Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic sphere. Buckyballs are strong, rigid natural molecules arranged in a series of interlocking hexagonal shapes, forming structures that resemble soccer balls. One individual buckyball comprises exactly 60 carbon atoms. In 1996, Richard Smalley received the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his discovery of buckyballs.

Carbon fibres: Fibers produced from pyrolytic degradation of synthetic organic fibers, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) or rayon, which contain about 92-99% carbon content and typically have modulus values up to 75 x 106 psi.

Catalyst: A substance that speeds up a reaction without undergoing any permanent chemical change.

Cathode Ray tube: The cathode ray tube or CRT, invented by Karl Ferdinand Braun, is the display device used in most computer displays, video monitors, televisions and oscilloscopes. The CRT developed from Philo Farnsworth's work was used in all television sets until the late 20th century and the advent of plasma screens, LCDs, DLP displays, and other technologies.

Composite: 1) A structure or an entity made up of distinct components. 2) A complex material, such as fiberglass, in which two or more distinct, structurally complementary substances, especially glasses and polymers, combine to produce structural or functional properties not present in any individual component. 3) Reinforced laminates (ie canvas phenolic, glass epoxy, etc.)

Covalent bond: a chemical bond between two atoms or radicals formed by the sharing of a pair (single bond), two pairs (double bond), or three pairs of electrons (triple bond).

Density: a measure of mass per unit of volume. The higher an object's density, the higher its mass per volume. The average density of an object equals its total mass divided by its total volume. A denser object (such as iron) will have less volume than an equal mass of some less dense substance (such as water).

Elasticity: Elasticity has meanings in two different fields: In physics and mechanical engineering, the theory of elasticity describes how a solid object moves and deforms in response to external stress. An alternative meaning of elasticity is a property of an object: it undergoes elastic (as opposed to plastic) deformation in response to stress.
Electromagnetic spectrum: the ordered series of all known types of electromagnetic radiation, arranged by wavelength ranging from the short cosmic rays through gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet radiation, visible radiation, infrared radiation, microwaves, to the long wavelengths of radio energy
Electron gun: The device in the CRT that produces the electron beam that activates the phosphors, causing them to emit red, green and blue light.

Fidelity: accuracy with which an electronic system reproduces the sound or image of its input signal

Free radicals: Highly reactive molecules capable of causing damage in brain and other tissue. Free radicals are common by-products of normal chemical reactions occurring in cells. The body has several mechanisms to deactivate free radicals.

Giant magneto resistance: The giant magnetoresistance effect (GMR) is a quantum mechanical effect observed in thin film structures composed of alternating ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic metal layers.

Hard disk: A rigid non-removable disk in a computer and the drive that houses it. Hard disks store more data and can be accessed quicker than floppy disks

Impurities: Undesirable foreign material(s) in a pure substance or mixture.

Intermolecular forces: Intermolecular forces are electromagnetic forces which act between molecules or between widely separated regions of a macromolecule. Listed in order of decreasing strength, these forces are: * Ionic interactions* Hydrogen bonds* Dipole-dipole interactions* London Dispersion Forces

Lattice: an arrangement of points or particles or objects in a regular periodic pattern in 2 or 3 dimensions
LCD: Liquid Crystal Display. A display that consists of two polarizing transparent panels and a liquid crystal surface sandwiched in between. Voltage is applied to certain areas, causing the crystal to turn dark. A light source behind the panel transmits through transparent crystals and is mostly blocked by dark crystals.

LED: (Light Emitting Diode)--A semiconductor light source that emits visible light or invisible infrared radiation.

Molecular: refers to the basic building blocks of the genetic material, such as DNA, genes and the other chemicals involved with the functioning of genes

Nanobot: A nanobot is a nanotechnological robot nanomachine, also called a nanite, which is a mechanical or electromechanical device whose dimensions are measured in nanometres (millionths of a millimeter, or units of 10-9 meter).

Nanoparticle: A nanoparticle is a microscopic particle whose size is measured in nanometers. Often such particles in nanoscale are used in biomedical applications acting as drug carriers or imaging agents.

Nanostructure: intermediate size between molecular and microscopic (micrometer-sized) structures

Nanotechnology: Technology development at the atomic, molecular, or macromolecular range of approximately 1-100 nanometers to create and use structures, devices, and systems that have novel properties.

Nanotube: Carbon nanotubes are cylindrical carbon molecules with properties that make them potentially useful in extremely small scale electronic and mechanical applications. They exhibit unusual strength and unique electrical properties, and are efficient conductors of heat. Inorganic nanotubes have also been synthesized.

Octet structure: A scientific law stating that all atoms, except those of hydrogen and helium, require eight electrons in the outermost energy level to maintain chemical stability

Optical Fiber: An optical fiber is a transparent thin fiber, usually made of glass, for transmitting light. Fiber optics is the branch of science and engineering concerned with optical fibers.
Optical technology: Technically, optical technology refers to all processes that involve light, lenses and other devices dealing with transmission of light.

Polarization: The lowering of the potential of a cell or electrode from its equilibrium value caused by the passage of an electric current.

Reactive: A chemical which in the pure state, or as produced or transported, will vigorously polymerize, decompose, condense, or will become self-reactive under conditions of shock, pressure, or temperature.

Saturated: a solution that holds all the solute it can at regular temperatures

Synthetic: A substance that is formulated or manufactured by a chemical process or by a process that chemically changes a substance extracted from naturally occurring plant, animal, or mineral sources, except that such term shall not apply to substances created by naturally occurring biological processes.

Tensile strength: The pull stress (in force per unit area) required to break a given specimen.

Thermal conductivity: Measure of the ability of a solid or liquid to transfer heat.

Ultraviolet radiation: Invisible rays that are part of the energy that comes from the sun. UV radiation also comes from sun lamps and tanning beds. UV radiation can damage the skin and cause melanoma and other types of skin cancer. UV radiation that reaches the Earth's surface is made up of two types of rays, called UVA and UVB rays. UVB rays are more likely than UVA rays to cause sunburn, but UVA rays pass deeper into the skin.

Unstable: A chemical that, in its pure state or as commercially produced, will react vigorously in some hazardous way under shock conditions (ie, dropping), certain temperatures, or pressures.

Wavelength: The distance between successive points of equal amplitude and phase on a wave (for example, crest to crest or trough to trough).