Recent Advances in Nanoscience

M. M. MARISCAL; S. A. DASSIE

Research Signpost

Lugar: Trivandrum, Kerala, India; Año: 2007 p. 201

978-81-308-0207-7

In 1959 the brilliant scientist Richard Feynman postulated at the American Physical Society some ideas about manipulation of individual atoms, miniaturization of computers, and development of better techniques and machinery for viewing the tiniest of details. This marked a turning point in science, which has since then turned towards miniaturization. Feynman’s ideas were later realized with the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) in 1981, as a tool to manipulate atoms or molecules, leading to the famous word “Nanotechnology”. Currently, two main approaches are used in nanotechnology: one is a "bottom-up" approach where devices are built from atomic or molecular components which assemble themselves chemically; the other is a "top-down" approach where nanodevices are constructed from larger entities without atomic-level control. Among such nanodevices we can find: nanoclusters, nanowires, colloidal nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanodots, nanogears, molecular conductors and many other tiny things within the nanometer scale. The fabrication of this kind of nanodevices, followed by intensive research an rigorous study about their applicability to future technologies has become the main challenge for many scientists all around the world. Application of these nanodevices depends on two factors. Firstly, on the thermodynamic stability of the structures generated, and secondly on the costs of producing these nanodevices in large scale. This book includes seven reviews written by experts in the field showing recent advances in the field of nanoscience. The topics covered are: polymer nanosensors, molecular nanodevices and metal nanowires, synthesis and characterization of metallic nanoparticles in solution, nanoelectrochemistry, and nanosolvatation effects on bio-active molecules. Since many of these topics represent cutting edge research developed in recent years, we expect this book to be useful for scientists working in Nanoscience.