Nanotechnology involves working with materials at the nanoscale, which is typically 1 to 100 nanometers. Key developments included Richard Feynman's 1959 talk about manipulating atoms and molecules, the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1982, and the discovery of buckyballs in 1985. Common nanomaterials include quantum dots, fullerenes, nanoballs, nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanofibers, and nanowires. Potential applications exist in areas like electronics, energy production, medicine, and consumer products. However, health and environmental risks also need evaluation due to the unknown effects of interacting with matter at the nanoscale.