The interest in nanotechnology has been gradually increasing for the past two decades. It is due to that reducing the size of any material to nano-size leads to the modification of its properties and have been found to be more useful than that of the bulk [[i],[ii],[iii],[iv],[v]]. This not only enables the possibility of reduction in size and cost of the devices but also offers the improvement in performance of existing devices, and opens up the new application fields [[vi]]. Infact, the impact of nanomaterials has been noticed in all the existing technologies including the information and communication, energy, agriculture, and the environment to health and heavy structures to transport. Thus providing the possibility to store data in the smallest dimensions [[vii],[viii]], and transfer data at the greatest speeds [[ix]], reduce carbon emission, ensures biocompatible transplants to detecting and curing the cancer cells [[x],[xi]], modify the mechanical, thermal and chemical properties of existing structures.
In this book I will briefly discuss the effect of nanomaterials on the mechanical, electronic, photonic, magnetic, chemical, and biological fields. In the first part of this book, we discuss about the basic physics which explains the reason for modification in the various properties of nanomaterials. Then, we introduce different available materials used for different applications, and the available techniques to fabricate those materials in the nano-size.
In the second part of this book, we introduce the available techniques to characterize the structural, optical, electronic, electrical, magnetic, and chemical properties of the fabricated nanomaterials. Of course, characterizing such small materials needs high precision and powerful tools. The basic principle and operating procedure of all the mentioned techniques will be explained. Also, the name of companies who sell these equipments will be mentioned, and the specifications suitable for student labs and industries will be discussed.
In the third part of this book, potential applications of nanomaterials in various fields will be discussed. The techniques to fabricate, characterize and the advantages of using the nanomaterials for those applications will be discussed.
[i] G. Cao, 2004 Nanostructures & Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Properties & Applications Imperial College Press.
[ii] G.L. Hornyak, J.J. Moore, H.F. Tibbals, J. Dutta, (2008) Fundamentals of nanotechnology, CRC Press.
[iii] G.W. Hayden, and E.J. Mele, “π bonding in the icosahedral C60 cluster” Phys. Rev. B 36, (1987) 5010.
[iv] M.M.J. Treacy, T.W. Ebbesen, J.M. Gibson, “Exceptionally high Young's modulus observed for individual carbon nanotubes” Nat. 381 (1996) 678.
[v] R.S. Ruoff, D.C. Lorents, “Mechanical and thermal properties of carbon nanotubes” Carbon, 33(1995) 925.
[vi] http://www.azom.com/details.asp?articleID=1066
[vii] M.N. Baibich, J.M. Broto, A. Fert, F. Nguyen Van Dau, and F. Petroff, “Giant Magnetoresistance of (001)Fe/(001)Cr Magnetic Superlattices” Phys. Rev. Lett. (1988) 61, 2472.
[viii] G. Binasch, P. Grünberg, F. Saurenbach, and W. Zinn, “Enhanced magnetoresistance in layered magnetic structures with antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange” Phys. Rev. B 39 (1989) 4828.
[x] S.K. Sahoo, and V. Labhasetwar “Nanotech approaches to drug delivery and imaging”, Drug Discovery Today, 8 (2003) 1112.
