Introduction to nano science and

technology

…kilo-, meter, milli-, micro-, nano-, pico-, femto-, atto-…

 Nanoscience
• Nanoscience is an emerging area of science which involves the study of materials on an ultra-
small scale and the novel properties that materials demonstrate.
• The word Nanoscience refers to the study, manipulation and engineering of matter, particles and
structures on the nanometer scale
• Important properties of materials, such as the electrical, optical, thermal and mechanical
properties, are determined by the way molecules and atoms assemble on the nanoscale into larger
structures.
• Nanoscience is the study of phenomena and manipulation of materials at atomic, molecular and
macromolecular scales, where properties differ significantly from those at a larger scale
• Bulk materials (the “big” pieces of materials) possess continuous (macroscopic) physical
properties.
• The same applies to micron-sized material (e.g., a grain of sand). But when particles assume
nano-scale dimension, the principles of classical physics are no longer capable of describing their
behavior (movement, energy, etc).
• The same material (e.g., gold) at the nanoscale can have properties (e.g., optical,
mechanical, electrical, etc.) which are very different from the properties the material has at
the macro scale (bulk).
 What is the Big Deal About Nanoscience?
Nanoscience is a field of study that deals with the manipulation and control of matter on an
atomic and molecular scale, typically ranging from 1 to 100 nanometers. This field has garnered a
lot of attention due to several reasons:
Novel Properties: At the nanoscale, materials often exhibit unique and enhanced properties
compared to their bulk counterparts. These properties can include increased strength, altered
chemical reactivity, and changes in optical or magnetic behavior.
Applications: Nanotechnology has a wide range of applications across various fields such as
medicine, electronics, energy, and materials science. For example, in medicine, nanoparticles can
be used for targeted drug delivery or imaging.
Interdisciplinary Nature: Nanoscience brings together principles from physics, chemistry, biology,
and engineering. This interdisciplinary nature allows for collaborations and innovations that can
lead to groundbreaking discoveries.
Future Technologies: Many see nanoscience as the foundation for future technologies that could
revolutionize industries and everyday life. This includes advancements in computing, renewable
energy, and environmental remediation.
Challenges and Concerns: Despite its potential, nanoscience also raises concerns regarding the
safety and ethical implications of nanotechnology. There is ongoing research to understand and
 What is Nanotechnology?

• Nanotechnology is the application of science, engineering, and technology at

the nanoscale.
• At this scale, materials often exhibit unique properties that are not present at
larger scales.
• Nanotechnology involves manipulating and controlling materials at the atomic
and molecular levels to create new structures, devices, and systems with novel
properties and functions.
Why nanotechnology is getting popular now?

1. Advancements in Science and Technology:

2. Applications Across Industries
3. Commercialization and Product Development:
4. Global Collaborations and Funding: Nanotechnology research is often interdisciplinary and requires
collaboration between researchers
5. Increased Awareness and Education: As nanotechnology becomes more prominent, there has been a greater
emphasis on educating the public and policymakers about its potential benefits and risks.
 The nanometre scale
• The prefix “Nano”is derived from the Greek word which means “Dwarf”.
• The nanometre scale is conventionally defined as 1 to 100 nm. One nanometre
is one billionth of a meter (10-9).
• The size range is set normally to be minimum 1nm to avoid single atoms or
very small groups of atoms being designated as nano-objects.
• Therefore nanoscience and nanotechnologies deal with at least clusters of
atoms of 1nm size.
• Nanoscience is not just the science of the small, but the science in which
materials with small dimension show new physical phenomena, collectively
called quantum effects, which are size-dependent and dramatically different
from the properties of macro-scale materials.
• Nanoscience is the study of materials that exhibit remarkable properties,
functionality and phenomena due to the influence of small dimensions.
• Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of
roughly 1 to 100 nanometers,
Scale of Things—Nanometers
• At the nanoscale, the physical, chemical, and biological properties of materials differ in fundamental and
valuable ways from the properties of individual atoms and molecules or bulk matter.

• Nanoscale science and technology i.e. Nanotechnology is a young and growing field that encompasses nearly
every discipline of science and engineering.
• Nanotechnology is truly a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and multifunctional field. Today, chemists,
physicists, medical doctors, engineers, biologists and computer scientists are working and collaborating for the
development of Nanotechnology.
 What is nanomaterial
• Nanomaterials are materials where a single unit has at least one dimension
that falls within the range of 1 to 100 nanometers.
• These tiny structures exhibit unique properties due to their size, and they
play a crucial role in various scientific and technological advancements.
• Nanomaterials are of interest because at this scale unique optical, magnetic,
electrical, and other properties emerge.
• These emergent properties have the potential for great impacts in electronics,
medicine, and other fields
• Nanomaterials can occur naturally, be created as the by-products of combustion
reactions, or be produced purposefully through engineering to perform a
specialised function.
• These materials can have different physical and chemical properties to their bulk-
form counterparts.
• Nanomaterials are categorized according to their dimensions as shown in Table
 Nanomaterials can be of two types:
• “non-intentionally made nanomaterials”, which refers to nano-sized particles or materials
that belong naturally to the environment (e.g., proteins, viruses, nanoparticles produced during
volcanic eruptions, etc.) or that are produced by human activity without intention (such as
nanoparticles produced from diesel combustion).
• “intentionally made” nanomaterials, which means nanomaterials produced deliberately
through a defined fabrication process.
 CLASSIFICATION OF NANOMATERIALS
The classification of nanomaterials is based on the number of dimensions as shown in Fig.
According to Siegel, nanostructured materials are classified as:
1. zero-dimensional (0D),
2. one-dimensional (1D),
3. two-dimensional (2D) and
4. three-dimensional (3D) nanomaterials.
Nanomaterials are classified into four types based on their size
dimensions: 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D
(i) Zero-dimensional nanomaterials: These nanomaterials have all three dimensions (x, y,
and z) within the nanoscale range or are not dimensional outside the Nano metric
range (>10 nm).
QDs, fullerenes, and nanoparticles are examples of 0D nanomaterials. They can be
amorphous or crystalline, single crystalline or polycrystalline, exhibit various shapes and
forms, and be metallic or ceramic
(ii) One-dimensional nanomaterials: Nanomaterials in this class have two of their three
dimensions (x, y) in the nanoscale range, but one dimension of the nanostructure is outside the
non-metric range (>10 nm).
1D nanomaterials, such as nanofibers, nanotubes, nanohorns, nano rods, thin films, and
nanowires, are examples of needle-shaped nanomaterials.
They can be amorphous or crystalline, single crystalline or polycrystalline, chemically pure or
impure, standalone materials, or embedded within another medium, such as metallic, ceramic,
or polymeric.
1D nanoparticles can be metallic, ceramic, or polymeric
(iii) Two-dimensional nanomaterials: 2D nanomaterials have plate-like shapes with

two dimensions outside the nanometer range, but 1D (x) is at the nanoscale
(between 1 and 100 nm). Coatings and thin-film multilayers, Nano sheets or
nano walls, free particles, tubes, fibers, ultrafine-grained over layers, wires, and
platelets are examples of 2D nanomaterials

(iv) Three-dimensional nanomaterials: 3D nanomaterials or bulk materials are

nanomaterials that are not confined to the nanoscale in any dimension or dimension range.
All dimensions of a 3D material are outside the nanometer range or greater than 100 nm,
• Thin films with atomic-scale porosity, colloids, and free nanoparticles with various
morphologies are examples of 3D nanomaterials
For the better understanding, nanomaterials are again organized into four types as follows.
Some types of nanomaterials are shown in Fig. 2.
(i) Carbon based materials
(ii) Metal based materials
(iii) Dendrimers
(iv) Composites
(i) Carbon based materials: These are composed of carbon, taking the form of hollow
spheres, ellipsoids or tubes. The spherical and ellipsoidal forms are referred as
fullerenes, while cylindrical forms are called nanotubes.

(ii) Metal based materials: These include quantum dots, nanogold, nanosilver and metal
oxides like TiO2. A quantum dot is a closely packed semiconductor crystal comprised of
hundreds or thousands of atoms, whose size is on the order of a few nanometers to a few
hundred nanometers.
(iii) Dendrimers: Dendrimers are repetitively branched molecules. The name comes from
the Greek word ‘dendron’ (tree). These nanomaterials are nanosized polymers built from
branched units. The surface of a dendrimer has numerous chain ends, which can perform
specific chemical functions. Dendrimers are used in molecular recognition, nanosensing,
light harvesting, and opto-electrochemical devices. They may be useful for drug delivery.

(iv) Composites: Composites are combination of nanoparticles with other nanoparticles or

with larger, bulk-type materials. Nanoparticles like nanosized clays are added to products
(auto parts, packaging materials, etc.) to enhance mechanical, thermal, and flame-retardant
properties.
 PROPERTIES AND USES OF NANOPARTICLES:
Definition: A nanoparticle is a small particle that ranges between 1 to 100
nanometres in size. Undetectable by the human eye, nanoparticles can exhibit
significantly different physical and chemical properties to their larger material
counterparts.
Properties
The material properties change as their size approaches the atomic scale. This is
due to the surface area to volume ratio increasing, resulting in the material’s
surface atoms dominating the material performance.
Owing to their very small size, nanoparticles have a very large surface area to
volume ratio when compared to bulk material, such as powders, plate and
sheet.
This feature enables nanoparticles to possess unexpected optical, physical and
chemical properties, as they are small enough to confine their electrons and
produce quantum effects.
• For example, copper is considered a soft material, with bulk copper
bending when its atoms cluster at the 50nm scale.
• Consequently, copper nanoparticles smaller then 50nm are considered a
very hard material, with drastically different malleability and ductility
performance when compared to bulk copper.
• The change in size can also affect the melting characteristics; gold
nanoparticles melt at much lower temperatures (300 °C for 2.5 nm size)
than bulk gold (1064 °C).
• Moreover, absorption of solar radiation is much higher in materials
composed of nanoparticles than in thin films of continuous sheets of
material.
 Unique Characteristics of Nanoparticles
• Large surface to volume ratio
• High percentage of atoms/molecules on the surface
• Surface forces are very important, while bulk forces are not as
important.
• Metal nanoparticles have unique light scattering properties and
exhibit plasmon resonance.
• Semiconductor nanoparticles may exhibit confined energy states
in their electronic band structure (e.g., quantum dots)
• Can have unique chemical and physical properties
• Same size scale as many biological structures
 Reminder
• Nano Science: It is the study of atoms, molecules and objects whose size is
of the nanometer scale.

• Nano Technology: It is the technique of design, production of devices and

systems by controlling the shape and size at the nanometer scale.

• Nanoparticle: Particle with size in the range of 1-100nm is called nano –

particle.

• Nano Materials are the materials containing nano crystals i.e their grain
size is in the 100nm range. The nano materials may be metals, alloys,
ceramics..
• These materials can be used in many electronic devices, textiles, tyres,
paint, in medical fields etc..