Nanotechnology's purpose is manipulating matter.
Nanotechnology ( `` nanotech '' ) is manipulation of matter on an atomic , molecular , and supramolecular scale . A more generalized description of nanotechnology was subsequently established by the National Nanotechnology Initiative , which defines nanotechnology as the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers . The associated research and applications are equally diverse , ranging from extensions of conventional device physics to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly , from developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale to direct control of matter on the atomic scale .