Sustainable Nanotechnology

12 Plants for Nanomaterial: Improving the Environmental Sustainability

Debjani Nath, Baishakhi Bairagi, Pratyusha Banerjee, Anugrah Ray, and Puspendu Roy

Department of Zoology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani Nadia, West Bengal, India

12.1 Nanotechnology: Small Material With Large Potential

According to the US National Nanotechnology Initiative, “nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications. Nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at this length scale and encompasses nanoscale science, engineering, and technology.” The ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials), International Committee E56 standard (E 2456‐06) recently defined nanotechnology as “a term referring to a wide range of technologies that measure, manipulate, or incorporate materials and/or features with at least one dimension between approximately 1 and 100 nanometers (nm). Such applications exploit the properties, distinct from bulk/macroscopic systems, of nanoscale components.” The parameters of nanotechnology are clear that it deals with materials having a dimension about 1–100 nm having some unique properties [1]. While nanomaterials are defined by their size range and properties, their composition does not. It permeates all industries as it is the most powerful technology due to its potentiality. Nanomaterials could be nanorods, nanotubes, nanofiber, nanopolymers ...