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Introduction to Nanotechnology

Rekha Sharma1, Kritika S. Sharma2 and Dinesh Kumar2*

1Department of Chemistry, Banasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan, India

2School of Chemical Sciences, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, India

Abstract

For the synthesis of material of nanometer size, nanotechnology implies an innovative route for technological development. Nanotechnology exactly means any technology in its various applications in the real world on the nanoscale. At scales ranging from discrete molecules or atoms to submicron dimensions, nanotechnology precisely includes the fabrication and application of chemical, physical, and biological systems, via the incorporation of these resulting nanomaterials into larger systems. It has the ability to alter our prospects, outlooks and proposals’ capability to overcome global problems. The introduction of many new areas of technology in nanocomposites, nanosensors, and nanomedicine has been done via the production and usage of nanomaterials. Currently, to produce the next generation of functional materials, nanotechnology is accomplished with its wide-ranging usage. Through attaining an important attention of the optical, magnetic, and mechanical properties of nanostructures, it is obtained as a multidisciplinary field. Furthermore, nanostructures can similarly give determinations toward technological and environmental challenges, and also in the areas of medicine, water treatment, catalysis, and solar energy conversion. This chapter mainly focusses on the classification of nanomaterials, introduction of nanotechnology, and the properties of nanomaterials.

Keywords: Nanotechnology, nanomaterials, biosensors, nanometer, nanostructures

1.1 Introduction

The scientific community is attracted by the nanoscience field. So nanotechnology is an outlook basically for most of the continuing deliberations, explanations, and considerations. Intrinsically, it establishes the apotheosis of human’s incessant need for knowledge and represents a broad term partaking applied potential. Nanotechnology is any technology to form functional structures by employing single atoms and molecules on the nanoscale, which has wide-ranging applications [1]. The area of nanotechnology comprises the utilization and creation of biological, physical, and chemical systems with structural features among single atoms or molecules to submicron dimensions, and also the assimilation of resultant nanostructures into larger systems [2, 3]. The technology on the nanoscale is simply called nanotechnology. Therefore, nanotechnology is the field, which comprise the materials in 1 to 100 nm range. The “engineering with atomic precision” and “atomically precise technology” are the brief definition of nanotechnology [4]. Owing to their nanoscale size, nanotechnology signify innovative, suggestively enhanced biological, physical, and chemical properties, developments, and methods. “The size and shape-controlled usage of matters to design, characterization, and manufacture in the nanoscale” is the dictionary description of the term nanotechnology [5]. Additionally, so as to make devices, systems, and matters through essentially innovative functions and properties, “the precision placement, controlled and careful manipulation, measurement, modeling, and production of materials at the nanoscale is a substitute definition [5]. In chemistry, colloidal science, biology, physics, and other scientific fields, nanotechnology is a branch of facts incorporating the study of methods at the nanoscale within a subclassification of technology [6]. The biological, physical, and chemical properties of materials at the nanoscale are demonstrated in the promise and essence of nanotechnology and nanoscience according to that they may be moderately diverse from those within a bulk material [7]. Dramatic changes can arise in their properties, when the dimensions are reduced below 100 nm of a material [7]. Therefore, to offer novel properties to a material along with variations associated precisely to structure and size, materials should be nanostructured so as to offer a precise performance. These types of particles and macromolecules possess distinct physico-chemical properties at sizes of 1 to 50 nm and made of some molecules [8]. When nanoparticles (NPs) are used for similar applications, they possess properties of improved performance compared with bulk materials. The collection of atoms bonded in cooperation with an average size of 1 to 100 nm defines an NP, which characteristically comprising of 10 to 105 atoms [9]. Nanocatalysts are the important application of NPs which is the manufacture of a new class of catalysts [10]. For the enhanced performance of chemical reactions, significant developments are being made in the fields, which contribute to detailed understanding of manufacturing, function of NPs as catalysts and the nature of NPs, i.e., structure, composition, and particle size [11]. The purpose of the performance of catalysts is a commanding function of its size distribution and particle size. The chemical properties of NPs offer them with application as catalysts, which are linked to particle size, for example, electronic properties, surface morphology, and large surface-to-volume ratio [6, 12]. For the improvement of inventive nanosystems and nanostructured materials, innovative developments are done via the discovery of new processes, phenomena, and materials at the nanoscale. This is also done for the progression of innovative experimental and theoretical methods for research. In terms of its applications in electronics, agriculture, energy, medicine, various anticipated and recent improvements in nanotechnology and nanoscale science have been done at an increasing rate [10, 13]. In the extension of innovative methods used to substitute present production equipment, to create new products, and to reformulate chemicals toward improved performance and novel materials, nanotechnology can play an important part. It results in less energy consumption and reduced material, environmental remediation, and also for less toxicity to the environment [14]. Nanotechnology offers the thrilling opportunity by a more sustainable route to remediate problems, although a reduced ingesting of energy and matter, assists the environment. Environmental applications of nanotechnology comprise the measures to address both the resulting issues with the advancement of solutions to recent ecological problems, from the possible risks associated with nanotechnology, and interactions of energy and material with the atmosphere [14].

1.2 Nanoscale Materials: Importance

The definition of nanometer (nm) scale can be demonstrated as smaller than one tenth of a micrometer in at least one dimension or three to five atoms in width—equivalent to 10 A˚ or one billionth of a meter [15], although the materials smaller than 1 mm can be used as term nanoscale. Similarly, 1 nm is 10,000 times less than the diameter of a human hair or we can simply say 109 m. A method based on science has been derived in the nanomaterial field, because of study materials at the nanoscale with structural features [15]. Nanotechnology and nanoscience functions have smaller systems and objects [16]. The systems and matter, which have the succeeding main properties, are defined as nanoscience studies:

• Building block property which permit the manufacture of larger structures,
• Apply methods that demonstrate the vital control of the chemical and physical appearances of molecular-scale structures.
• Partake as a minimum of one dimension less than 10 nm.

Generally, developing the constituents of cellular structures to form the bioentities in the body, the nanotechnology is utilized in nature, for example, enzymes, proteins, DNA, carbohydrates, viruses, and RNA. Generally, the molecular size of various structures has 1 to 100 nm nanoscale range in biological system, nanoscience is actually characteristic of nature in the biological sciences [17]. For the development of advanced nanosystems and nanoscale matters, the study of innovative nanoscale phenomena, processes, and materials offers new prospects and also to the progress of novel experimental and theoretical methods. The nanoscale materials can be enormously dissimilar from larger scale materials on the dimensional scale. The nanostructures are categorized as the largest molecules and atoms in bulk materials or living systems or connecting the smallest part of artificial devices [18]. A drastic change can arise in their properties, when the material dimensions are condensed to less than 100 nm from a large size [19]. On the basis of morphology and distribution, ascendancy of size incarceration, quantum effects, and interfacial method, the utmost required properties at the nanoscale can be attained. Additionally, in terms of their different property at the macroscale, the materials behavior is not entirely predictable at the nanoscale [9, 20]. To demonstrate new biological, physical, and chemical properties of systems, the capability to operate and control nanostructures will finally make it possible. The properties are transitional in size, specifically, bulk materials, single atoms, and molecules [15]. Materials can be nanostructured in order to create novel properties and provide improved performance. The main reasons of nanoscale materials are comprised succeeding, which makes them very...