Zizheng Guo

Nanotitanium Oxide as a Photocatalytic Material and its Application

Titanium dioxide, or titania (TiO2), is one of the more versatile nanomaterials, with applications in photocatalytic water remediation, solar water splitting, and energy harvesting. Titania is a wide band-gap semiconductor, and thus exhibits many interesting light-driven properties. In Chapter 6, aspects of titania nanoparticles are discussed, including the physical principles of photocatalysis, preparation of nanoscale titania, and the various applications of titania.

Electro-Optical and Piezoelectric Applications of Zinc Oxide

ZnO is an emerging nanoscale material due to its exciting optoelectronic and piezoelectric properties. In Chapter 7, ZnO is discussed in detail. The growth of nanoscale ZnO films is presented, along with the resulting optoelectronic properties of these materials. The principles of piezoelectricity are introduced, along with ZnO-based generation of electricity through force.

8 – Superconducting Nanomaterials

Superconductivity is an important physical property of materials that occur at the nanoscale. As one can imagine, the applications of achievable superconductivity are significant, potentially changing the electronics world we know today. In this chapter, the physical principles of superconductivity are discussed, and how researchers are now using principles of nanotechnology to increase the superconductivity temperature of many materials.

10 – Nanoenergy Materials

Sources for alternative energy are increasingly necessary given the rapid consumption of nonrenewable energy sources such as fossil fuels. In a similar vein, rapid resource consumption has attributed to the pollution of Earth to near-critical levels. As such, scientists have been employing nanotechnology for alternative and sustainable energy applications. Chapter 10 summarizes the use of nanomaterials for energy applications, with examples including nanomaterials for fuel cells, high-performance batteries, and solar cells.

3 – Carbon Nanotubes

Some of the first discovered and widely studied/publicized nanoscale materials are those of carbon allotropes. Prior to the advent of nanotechnology, three forms of carbon were known: graphite, diamond, and amorphous carbon. Now many other forms of carbon have been discovered that exhibit novel properties, including fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and graphene (individual graphitic sheets). Chapter 3 provides a summary of materials, including their properties, synthesis, and applications.

Semiconductor Quantum Dots

One of the more exciting classes of nanomaterials is semiconductor quantum dots. Due to quantum confinement effects associated with their nanoscale size and structure, amazing optical properties are obtainable for materials absorbing and emitting light from the UV to the NIR. In Chapter 4, quantum dots are discussed. A physical basis of the quantum confinement effect is described, which is then used to explain the unique optical properties these materials exhibit. Applications of quantum dots are also described in detail.

5 – Nanomagnetic Materials

One of the guiding principles of nanotechnology is the observed changes in properties between bulk and nanoscale materials. Perhaps the best example of this principle is observed from magnetic nanomaterials, wherein magnetic properties can be altered drastically with the size of the material. Chapter 5 discusses the origin of magnetic property changes in nanoscale materials, while also discussing synthetic techniques and emerging applications.

Basic Properties of Nanomaterials

Nanotechnology, the study of materials and phenomena at the sub-100-nm scale, is an established multidisciplinary field of science with emerging real-world impacts. Applications of nanotechnology are plentiful, including (but not limited to) drug delivery, energy storage, energy harvesting, optics, electronics, optoelectronics, catalysis, tissue engineering, structural materials, and sensing. Chapter 1 provides a brief history and overview of the field of nanotechnology, while also summarizing important property changes observed in nanoscale materials as compared to their bulk counterparts.

9 – Nanobiological Materials

Nanoscale materials are smaller than many cellular components of the body. As such, there is massive potential to use nanomaterials for therapeutic applications, including drug delivery, tissue engineering, and medical diagnosis. Chapter 9 is dedicated to the use of nanoscale materials in the field of medical treatment and diagnosis. Topics included are biocompatible nanomaterials, targeted drug delivery, medical imaging techniques, and sensors for diagnosis.

12 – DNA Nanotechnology

Nanoscale materials are not exclusively synthetic materials. Every living thing on Earth consists of nanoscale materials, such as cellular components, DNA, proteins, and so on. DNA in particular is an interesting nanoscale biopolymer, as not only is it the “molecule of life”, but has many other interesting properties making themselves useful in many nonbiological applications. Chapter 12 summarizes the research done by the nanotechnology community, including DNA-based electronics and metallic nanowire formation.