Nanotubes, nanoscience, and nanotechnology

The theoretical underpinnings of the properties of nanostructures has become a frontier activity in materials science. Although ab initio and empirically based calculations of the properties of bulk materials and their surfaces have advanced significantly in the past several decades, the extension of these methods to nanocrystals, nanotubes, and large molecular structures is not trivial or automatic. However, considerable progress has been made. Here, we review the status of the theoretical efforts to predict and explain properties of bulk solids and then describe extensions and applications to nanoscience and nanotechnology. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All lights reserved.