To the 1000-th Anniversary of Kazan
Commemorating 10 Years of Scientific
Edition
(from Editorial Board)
The
journal "Problems of nonlinear analysis in engineering systems" was conceived in
1994 as an interdisciplinary New Type Edition, generated by the idea of Prof.
V.Lakshmikantam - "Unity in Diversity", comprising diverse fields of Knowledge
and with understanding of their subjects as united chain links within the
system of Cognition, with the interpretation of a phrase "engineering systems"
in a extended sense (these are systems of any kind of nature, generated with
the participation and influence of a man and his intelligence at the up-dated
level of scientific and technical possibilities, i.e. - interdisciplinary
systems at the intersection of diverse scientific disciplines, including
natural sciences, the humanities, social sciences). These principles, which in
its time had got a benevolent support from the side of Prof. I.R.Prigogine,
being the Member of our International Editorial Committee, naturally led us to
the idea of the preparation of this Journal Special Issue, devoted to a new
progressive field: nanoscience and nanotechnology, which is an
interdisciplinary rapidly progressing field of Knowledge, being developed by
joint scientific research of mathematicians, mechanicists, physicians,
chemists, biologists, : We have already got used to such terms as
"nanobiology", "bioengineering", "nanoscience", "nanotechnology", "nanocomputers",
"nanomechanics", "nanomechatronics", "nanomedicine", : Nanotechnology has got
its separate fields - physical nanotechnology, chemical nanotechnology,
mechanical nanotechnology; the nanoscience also defines rapidly advancing
directions with promising results (from nanobiology to molecular
nanotechnology, based on biomimicry); and the following inceptive directions
are highly demanded: on the basis of nanoelectronics to micro- and
nanomechanical devices and nanocontrolling electronic systems; on the basis of
chemical nanotechnology - to nanomedicine; on the basis of nanotubes and
albuminous engines - to nanomechanics;: The general concept is from nanobiology
to nanotechnology on the basis of understanding of the main universal laws,
which provide connections between living and nonliving matter. The main
properties typical of the objects of molecular nanotechnology are
self-organization and quantum tunneling with the control at the molecular
level. Alongside the results of research at the molecular level give way to the
theory that "everything in biology is mechanical"; the research of interatomic
and intermolecular forces provide us with the opportunity to get interesting
data concerning the forces of mechanical, electrical, heat interaction inside
molecules/atoms and among them. This gives ground for supposition that there
are no boundaries between "living" and "non-living" matter, this transition is
only a single stage of the united process of self-organization
(self-regulation) of an infinite process of the developing matter forms. The
unified development process comprises non-living nature, living nature and
society. It is a single chain, unified system, for which there exist unified
principles, laws, mechanisms, equal to all fields of Knowledge (physics,
chemistry, engineering,:); and among them there is a stability postulat by N.G.
Chetayev, the principle of entropy increment minimum by I.R.Prigogine (the
principle of stability, the principle of energy dissipation minimum, according
to N.N.Moiseev).
Nanotechnologies deal with the objects of atomic size (0.1 nm, prefix "nano" means factor 10-9). The term "nanotechnology" has got into circulation in the 80-ies for defining the process of new objects and materials generation with the help of manipulation with separate atoms. Yet at the beginning of the 70-ies Richard Feynman used to say about the construction
of nanomechanisms, nanoinstruments, nanoeqipment, predicting that the possibility of assembly by "atom-to-atom" method and nanoengineering could lead to new materials and connections, similar to biological systems. R.Feynman must have been one of the first to put forward the concept "from nanobiology to nanotechnology".
For instance, nanorobots, devices of the size of ~10 nm, which manipulate atoms by themselves, and these manipulation can be controlled chemically or with the DNA chains. Nanomechanisms are mechanisms of molecular size. Nanoscience uses modeling of the principles of living matter, based on self-regulation; nanotechnology allows to obtain materials and devices characterized by this property of self-regulation, typical of living matter.
Nanotechnology is a qualitative change of the Science itself, which transits from the goals of analysis and cognition to the goals of synthesis and generation of new objects and structures on the basis of biotechnology, comprising physics, chemistry, molecular biology. Currently nanoscience and nanotechnology are one of the relevant and the most promising fields, with complex interdisciplinary problems. Comprises intriguing and promising aspects of these rapidly developing fields of science and technology, inspired by Nature itself, are proving the main principle of our Being - "Unity in Diversity".
This special issue "Advances in
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology" is prepared with our Partner, the Guest Editor, Professor Salvatore Santoli.
Professor Salvatore Santoli is a wide-range specialist, who possesses deep knowledge in different fields, works actively in the field of nano- and biotechnology, has detailed understanding of both theoretical and applied aspects; besides, he possesses a wonderful ability of realizing theoretical research into practice: he is the Founder-Leader of the International Nanotechnological Testbed, one of the first scientists, formulated the principles of Nanotechnology and Nanobiology.
Gennady L.Degtyarev Lyudmila K.Kuzmina
Rector of A.N.Tupolev KSTU-KAI Co-Editor
© 1995-2008 Kazan State University