Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Book Description

What is nanotechnology? What does it do, and why is it expected to have a significant impact on our lives? These seemingly simple questions do not have easy, direct answers. There are so many aspects to nanotechnology that the uninitiated often find it challenging to begin to understand and appreciate it. Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology explains the basics in clear language, even to those who do not have a scientific background. It reveals the present state of the art and latest applications in nanotechnology, makes estimates of where the technology is headed, and predicts what will be possible in the future.

The book begins by addressing how small the nanometer length scale is in comparison to macroscopic objects and why it is special. From a discussion of naturally occurring nanoparticles and nanoparticles composed of carbon, the book then presents the tools of nanotechnology that can build, image, and manipulate nanostructures to build materials and devices (such as MEMS devices and scanning probe technologies), as well as one of the most exciting aspects of the field—combining Bottom-up and Top-down approaches so that individual nanostructures can be probed.

Readers will learn about artificially produced nanostructures that have a built-in functionality, such as magnetic nanoparticles that can store a data bit. They'll see how it is possible to produce biologically active nanoparticles that can interact with specific cells in the body, which can lead to powerful new treatments for diseases such as cancer. In addition, they'll discover the potential for building autonomous machines with nanoscale components—and how the tools of nanotechnology may one day lead to a deeper understanding of our universe.

From new areas of biomedical applications to probing the "quantum vacuum," Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology is accessible to all general science readers, as well as to undergraduates and graduate students studying nanotechnology.

About the Author

CHRIS BINNS, PhD, is Professor of Nanoscience in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester, United Kingdom. He spent two years working at Synchrotron Radiation Sources (SSRL, Stanford and NSLS, Brookhaven) in the USA. Professor Binns then obtained a permanent academic post at the University of Leicester and continued synchrotron radiation experiments. In the last decade his research has focused on magnetic nanoparticles, and at present is moving into the new areas of biomedical applications of nanoparticles and in Casimir force measurements using scanning probe microscopes.

Customer Reviews

It is a great book for undergraduates, graduates and also experts in nanotechnology fields. Author has given holistic feel to the readers. Students can use this as a text book. After reading this book, scientists will make nanotechnology a reality and revolutionize life as we know today. Congratulations for his great effort to bring out the book in scientific community.

This book has the quality be a very useful to introduction of nanoscience in the case of undergraduate students. The principal themes have introduced in this book in very intuitive and formal (some case).