Nanomaterials

Preface

Nanostructure science and technology is a broad and interdisciplinary area of research and development that has been growing explosively in the past decades. Nanomaterials can be obtained either naturally or incidentally or can be manufactured. They are crystalline or amorphous of organic or inorganic materials having sizes in the range of 1-100 nm, which exist in unbound state or as an aggregate or agglomerate. Nanomaterials are classified as nanostructured and nanophase/nanoparticle materials. Their properties are significantly different and they can be significantly improved relative to those of their coarser-grained counterparts. Most benefits of nanomaterials depend on the fact that it is possible to tailor the essential structures of materials at the nanoscale to achieve specific properties. Hence, the evolution of nanotechnology represents an ever improving process in the design, discovery, creation, and novel utilization of artificial nanoscale materials. Research on variety of chemical, mechanical, and physical properties is beginning to yield a glimmer of understanding on how this interplay manifests itself in the properties of these new materials.

To meet the major challenges in environmental sustainability, these nanomaterials in various hierarchical fashions are stimulating various important practical applications in the environmental sector. Their applications involve addressing the existing environmental problems, preventive measures for future problems ...