Nanotechnology

The past few decades have seen an explosive increase in our ability to create nanostructures and nanosystems with a great degree of control, using a diversity of techniques. This ability has been accompanied by a similar enhancement in our ability to characterize structures and systems at the nanoscale. This book provides a broad overview of those nanostructures and nanosystems (together termed ""Nanotechnology""). It covers structural characteristics and properties of nanostructures, nanofabrication techniques, methods for characterizing nanostructures, and applications for nanomaterials. The book also provides a thought-provoking assessment of the possible implications of nanotechnology in society, and likely future trends. Nanotechnology: A Crash Course is accessible to a wide readership and will meet the immediate needs of college graduates, doctoral students, professors, and researchers alike, who are looking for a quick yet inclusive grasp of this cutting-edge technology. Contents: To the Reader; Nomenclature; Low-Dimensional Structures; Properties of Nanostructures; Nanofabrication; Characterization of Nanostructures and Nanomaterials; Nanomaterials and Applications; Future Prospects; Index Suppose that you recently graduated with a B.S. degree in science or engineering and will commence your first professional employment tomorrow. Earlier this afternoon, your manager called to ask if you know something about nanotechnology, so that tomorrow you can begin developing an internal proposal for your division. But either your college did not offer a course on nanotechnology or you decided not to take one. You need a crash course in nanotechnology, just to get you off the ground.Suppose that you are a doctoral student in a department whose candidacy examination requires you to write a 5 10-page research proposal on an emerging topic assigned by the faculty committee. Suppose that your assigned topic intersects with nanotechnology, but all that you know about nanotechnology came from a couple of hour-long graduate seminars that you attended the previous semester. You need a crash course in nanotechnology, not only to write an impressive introduction but also to acquaint yourself with terminology to conduct efficient searches on Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, etc. Suppose that you are a post-doctoral researcher at either an academic or an industrial research institution. Your supervisor has asked you to advise a shining undergraduate student for a summer project in nanotechnology, although the focus of your own research is elsewhere. You need...