Six minutes is all Rice University music professor and composer Anthony Brandt needs to perform an entire symphony from tuning session to intermission and encore. Brandt created what he calls a "nano symphony," using nanotechnology as a model for his composition. To achieve this, Brandt altered single notes in a way similar to how rearranging atoms can change the chemical composition of a molecule.

The merger of music and science was part of a special event Oct. 10 celebrating the discovery of the buckyball 25 years ago. The buckyball is the nickname for the buckminsterfullerene molecule introduced in 1985 by Rice University professors Robert Curl and since-deceased Richard Smalley along with Harold Kroto, who was a professor at the University of Sussex in England at the time. The three professors received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996 for their discovery. The buckyball is significant because it led to a host of developments that became known as nanotechnology. Since the buckyball's discovery, nanomaterials have been incorporated into products across many industries, particularly the chemicals and semiconductor sectors.

But has nanotechnology advanced as quickly as once anticipated? The National Science Foundation predicted in 2000 that sales of nano-related products would reach $1 trillion by 2015. Such hype can create unrealistic expectations regarding nanotechnology and help generate a backlash that deters funding or investor interest, according to a report published in July by market research firm BCC Research.

Molecular-level manufacturing is one of the nanotechnology areas that initially created a buzz but is still at least 10 years away from becoming reality, says Lauralyn McDaniel, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers' product-development manager. Molecular-level manufacturing involves creating molecularly precise products and components from the "bottom-up" by manipulating atoms. So far, most nano-related developments have resulted in incremental improvements to products rather than the creation of revolutionary advances, says Michael Holman, research director at Lux Research Inc. He cites the high cost of nanomaterials as a major challenge in nano-related developments.

The magnified image shows BASF’s new generation of foams with a cell size no longer in micro but in nanometer size. The foams are being developed to provide improved insulating properties compared to established insulating fabrics.

Another issue that's created much uncertainty is the rising tide of environmental and health concerns regarding nanotechnology. Federal, state and global regulatory agencies are still grappling with how to classify and regulate nanomaterials. Researchers and manufacturers have complained that EPA and some state agencies are taking an unfair one-size-fits-all approach to regulating nanotechnology, creating unnecessary testing and registration burdens for companies.

"These nanotech firms, which have popped up over the last 10 years or so, live on venture-capital money to do their R&D," says John DiLoreto, publisher of the NanoReg Report. "But there has to be a point at which their products move to the marketplace, and that's where the problem comes because venture capitalists don't want to pay a researcher to do toxicology studies."

The fallout from overhyping any new development can be disastrous. Just look at the dot.com boom and bust of the late 1990s, authors of the BCC report note. But the BCC study, titled "Nanotechnology: A Realistic Market Assessment," notes that nanotechnology is less likely to follow the fate of dot.coms because of its more tangible nature. Still, more than 40% of Society of Manufacturing Engineer's members and customers said in a survey this year they know little about nanotechnology, says McDaniel. But she says more universities appear to be developing nanotechnology programs and that interest in the field is beginning to ramp up again.

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