Hi,
What is the difference between a nanomachine and a nanodevice? I’ve searched for a distinction, but so far have come up empty. I look forward to your feedback.
Nothing I know of, but I’m not looking closely at the field. It is an area that needs a lot of new terminology. For instance, a lot of nano-technology will be embedded in macro-technology, for marketing purposes they’ll be called nano-devices or nano-machines anyway.
Generally, a “device” is defined more broadly than a “machine”. A machine is usually understood to have some parts that move relative to each other to achieve a purpose. A device can be a machine, but may also include objects that don’t fit the narrow definition of a machine.
There are several nanodevices which are just nanoparticles that are designed to have certain useful physical properties, for things like precise drug delivery. There are also nanodevices which consist of nanometer thicknesses of films. I’ve seen those used in optics, as well as in surface treatments for things like self-cleaning glass.
Thanks Horatio.
Searching through websites the words nanomachine and nanodevice are used interchangeably. At other times they seem to carry different meanings.
“A nanomachine, also called a nanite, is a mechanical or electromechanical device whose dimensions are measured in nanometers (millionths of a millimeter, or units of 10 -9 meter).”
“Nanomachines are largely in the research-and-development phase, but some primitive devices have been tested. "
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High-fidelity modeling, heterogeneous simulation and optimization of synchronous nanomachines and motion nanodevices”
"All nanomachines and motion nanodevices must be synthesized before attempts to design and optimize them because basic physical features, nanomachine topologies, energy conversion, operating principles and other issues significantly contribute to sequential tasks in analysis, control, optimization and design. "