Miles, John --- "Nanotechnology Captured" [2010] ELECD 713; in Hodge, A. Graeme; Bowman, M. Diana; Maynard, D. Andrew (eds), "International Handbook on Regulating Nanotechnologies" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2010)

Book Title: International Handbook on Regulating Nanotechnologies

Editor(s): Hodge, A. Graeme; Bowman, M. Diana; Maynard, D. Andrew

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848446731

Section: Chapter 5

Section Title: Nanotechnology Captured

Author(s): Miles, John

Number of pages: 24

Extract:

5 Nanotechnology captured
John Miles


The emergence of nanotechnologies that truly enhance the quality of life
and the development of regulations to protect the public rely vitally on the
development of internationally accepted documentary standards for termi-
nology and nomenclature and an effective international infrastructure for
metrology at the nanoscale. The aim of this chapter is to describe current
international work in developing physical and documentary standards
for nanotechnologies, in particular that of the International Organization
for Standardization's (ISO) Technical Committee TC229 on documen-
tary standards for Terminology and Nomenclature, Measurement and
Characterization, Health, Safety, and the Environment and Materials
Specifications. In addition, the fundamentals of nanometrology, the
science of measurement at the nanoscale, are described along with the
steps being taken to incorporate nanometrology into the International
Measurement System.


5.1 STANDARDS FOR NANOTECHNOLOGY

It is important first to clarify the difference between physical standards
and documentary standards. The value of a physical quantity, such as
mass, length and time, is expressed as the product of a number and a unit,
where the unit is a particular example of the quantity being used as a refer-
ence. A physical standard is the actual physical realization of the unit. For
example, the physical realization of the SI unit for mass, the kilogram, is
an artefact made of platinum-iridium kept at the International Bureau
of Weights and Measures (the BIPM) under specified conditions. The SI
is the International System of Units consisting of a coherent set of seven
base ...