If one considers which research areas in physics, chemistry, and engineering experienced the strongest growth in the last 10 years, then it is likely that material sciences and nanotechnology stand out as front runners. While it is fair to say that material sciences have always been important, it is also true to state that until very recently they were somehow limited in scope. Before the nanotechnology revolution, all material sciences research was basically dominated by physics and engineering. The major driving force behind such research were attempts in computer and information technologies to miniaturize transistors and electronic processors. Essentially, all was a top-down strategy: start with a macroscopic device and then try to make it smaller and smaller.