What is nanoscience and nanotechnology ?

Nanoscience is the study of the properties of structures of the size smaller than several hundreds of nanometer (nm)
Nanotechnology consists in techniques for designing and manufacturing these structures as well as applications arising from these.
The development of nanoscience and nanotechnology is in line with the trend towards miniaturisation.
As nanoscience and nanotechnology develop, they make the barriers between traditional scientific and technological disciplines more permeable. Today, there is increasing interaction between electronics, chemistry, physics, biology, medical sciences, information and communication sciences. Scientists describe this as a process of "convergence" of disciplines.