The different types of nanotechnology are classified according to how they proceed (top-down or bottom-up) and the medium in which they work (dry or wet):
- Descending (top-down):Mechanisms and structures are miniaturised at the nanometric scale — from one to 100 nanometres in size —. It is the most frequent to date, especially in electronics.
- Ascending (bottom-up):You start with a nanometric structure — a molecule, for example — and through a mounting or self-assembly process you create a larger mechanism than the one you started with.
- Dry nanotechnolgy :It is used to manufacture structures in coal, silicon, inorganic materials, metals and semiconductors that do not work with humidity.
- Wet nanotechnology:It is based on biological systems present in an aqueous environment — including genetic material, membranes, enzymes and other cellular components
