Introduction To Nanoscience

Nanoscience is not physics, chemistry, engineering or biology. It is all of them, and it is time for a text that integrates the disciplines. This is such a text, aimed at advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students in the sciences. The consequences of smallness and quantum behaviour are well known and described Richard Feynman's visionary essay 'There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom' (which is reproduced in this book). Another, critical, but thus far neglected, aspect of nanoscience is the complexity of nanostructures. Hundreds, thousands or hundreds of thousands of atoms make up systems that are complex enough to show what is fashionably called 'emergent behaviour'. Quite new phenomena arise from rare configurations of the system. Examples are the Kramer's theory of reactions (Chapter 3), the Marcus theory of electron transfer (Chapter 8), and enzyme catalysis, molecular motors, and fluctuations in gene expression and splicing, all covered in the final Chapter on Nanobiology. The book is divided into three parts. Part I (The Basics) is a self-contained introduction to quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics and chemical kinetics, calling on no more than basic college calculus. A conceptual approach and an array of examples and conceptual problems will allow even those without the mathematical tools to grasp much of what is important. Part II (The Tools) covers microscopy, single molecule manipulation and measurement, nanofabrication and self-assembly. Part III (Applications) covers electrons in nanostructures, molecular electronics, nano-materials and nanobiology. Each chapter starts with a survey of the required basics, but ends by making contact with current research literature.

Tomorrow's nanoscientist will have a truly interdisciplinary and nano-centric education, rather than, for example, a degree in chemistry with a specialization in nanoscience. For this to happen, the field needs a truly focused and dedicated textbook. This full-color masterwork is such a textbook. It introduces the nanoscale along with the societal

The maturation of nanotechnology has revealed it to be a unique and distinct discipline rather than a specialization within a larger field. Its textbook cannot afford to be a chemistry, physics, or engineering text focused on nano. It must be an integrated, multidisciplinary, and specifically nano textbook. The archetype of the modern nano textbook

This textbook is aimed primarily at the senior undergraduate and first year graduate students from the various engineering and sciences departments including physics, chemistry, materials engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, bioengineering, and biology. Researchers in the areas of nanomaterials and nanoscience will also find the book useful for building the background necessary to understand the current literature and as a reference book. The text assumes only a basic level of competency in physics, chemistry and mathematics. Some of the background material and introductory matter are included in the first few chapters and as appendices. Although this material may be familiar to some of the students, it is the author's experience after teaching such a course for many years that this can not be taken for granted and moreover, serves as a ready reference to understand the text. As the area of nanoscience, nanotechnology and nanomaterials is a fast developing one, an approach which equips the students to comprehend the developing field rather than providing a large volume of information is essential. With this in view, while providing a broad perspective, the book emphasizes basics of nanoscience and nanoscale materials and goes into sufficient depth for the reader to be able to handle numerical problems. The treatment is kept at a level which is easily comprehensible to an undergraduate student. Solved examples are provided in each chapter to aid understanding and a set of problems is given at the end of each chapter.

This compact introductory textbook in the emerging discipline of nano-science and nanotechnology, presents the fundamental principles and techniques to students of science and engineering. The book presents the information in a pedagogically sound manner, and is especially designed for students of M.Sc. (Physics) and M.Tech. courses in nanotechnology. With the increasing applications of nonoscience and nanotechnology in the areas of biotechnology, electronics, integrated circuits, chemistry, physics, materials science, etc. the study of nanostructured materials is also becoming a core part of undergraduate and postgraduate courses of many science and engineering disciplines. The book emphasizes the underlying concepts of nanomaterials with neatly drawn diagrams and illustrations. Modern applications are included to highlight the relevance and importance of nanoscience and nanotechnology in everyday life. The book should therefore be of interest to students of several disciplines of science and engineering as well as research scholars.

Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology explains nanotechnology to an audience that does not necessarily have a scientific background. It covers all aspects, including the new areas of biomedical applications and the use of nanotechnology to probe the "quantum vacuum." After discussing the present state of the art in nanotechnology, the book makes estimates of where these technologies are going and what will be possible in the future.

"Part of this book adapted from "Introduction aux nanosciences et aux nanotechnologies" published in France by Hermes Science/Lavoisier in 2006."

Designed for students at the senior undergraduate and first-year graduate level, Introductory Nanoscience takes a quantitative approach to describing the physical and chemical principles behind what makes nanostructures so fascinating. This textbook provides a foundation for understanding how properties of materials change when scaled to nano-size, explaining how we may predict behavior and functionality.