Introduction to Nanoscience

Nanoscience Definition

• Nanoscience is the study of material behavior at the nanoscale.
• The prefix "nano" comes from the Greek word "Nanos", meaning "dwarf", and represents one billionth of a meter (0.000000001 m = 1 nm).

Scale of Nanometers

• To put the size of nanometers into perspective, a human hair is approximately 75,000 nm.
• A 1 nm size nanomaterial can have around 50 atoms, while a 20 nm size nanomaterial can accommodate around 10,000 atoms.

Interdisciplinary Science

• Nanoscience is an emerging, interdisciplinary science that involves physics, biology, chemistry, materials science, engineering, computer science, and more.

History of Nanotechnology

• Richard Feynman was the first to propose the idea of novel properties of materials at the nanometer length scale in his 1959 talk "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom".
• The term "nanotechnology" was coined in 1974 by Norio Taniguchi at the University of Tokyo.

Definition of Nanotechnology

• Nanotechnology is the creation of useful/functional materials, devices, and systems through control and manipulation of matter on the nanometer length scale (1-100 nm).
• It involves the exploitation of novel phenomena and properties that arise due to the nanometer length scale.

Properties of Nanomaterials

• Nanomaterials are materials with at least one dimension in the nanometric regime (1-100 nm) and at least one size-dependent property.
• Properties that can change at the nanoscale include physical, chemical, biological, magnetic, optical, electrical, and mechanical properties.

Examples of Nanomaterials

• Natural nanomaterials: DNA, viruses.
• Artificial nanomaterials: carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, inorganic nanowires, metal quantum dots.

Reasons for Property Changes

• The properties of materials in the nanoscale change mainly due to two reasons:
  • Quantum size effect.
  • Increase in surface to volume ratio.

This quiz covers the basics of nanoscience, including the definition, scale, and properties of nanomaterials. Learn about the fascinating world of nanoscale materials and their applications.