Nano technology which works at the scale of atoms and molecules to create materials not found in nature is having a big impact, but that impact is mostly behind the scenes. The two biggest processes using nanotechnology right now, from an economic point of view are hard drives of most new computers, and the way gasoline is made. Catalytic cracking is where you take oil, separate it, and then break the big oil molecules down to smaller molecules that your car actually uses, like octane. Oil refineries can now use nanotechnology to produce gasoline and other products from much heavier crude oil. This is accomplished by using micro nanoscale-sized holes in a naturally occurring material called zeolites. This has become a huge industry that’s underlying all of the gas that we use in the United States and pretty much around the world. A 100 billion dollar a year industry.- Millet

I've worked as a chemical engineer at the former Beaumont Mobil oil refinery since 1977. The fluid cat crackers have catalyst that have molecular sieves with just the correct size to allow heavy gas oils to diffuse into the catalyst, react and to break apart into gasoline. This technology was invented by Mobil Oil back in the 1950s and the structures are know as zeolites. The catalyst looks like fine gray sand. Our cat cracker circulates about 50 tons/minute of the catalyst and makes about 2,500.000 gallons of gasoline a day. I believe the catalyst pores are something like 5-7 anstroms s in diameter. The invention of zeolites revolutionized the refinery business. I don't know if this is what you are referring to.

and to think we got nanotechnology from the evil Borg.

-Ethan