NANOMATERIALS Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. It deals with structures having at least one dimension in the range 1 to 100 nanometers and involves developing material or devices within that size, Significance of nanoscale and change in properties of nanoparticles Many properties of solids such as optical electrical and mechanical et depend on its size, As compared to its BULK form, properties of materials change when at least one of the dimensions of material is reduced to nanoscale mainly due to following reasons: 1 Upon reaching quantum confinement at nanoscale energy levels of nanoparticles become discrete. This widens up the band gap and the band gap energy. This results in a change in the properties of material at nanoscale, 2. Nanoparticles have a relatively larger surface area when compared to its bulk form, This makes the nanoparticles move chemically reactive compared to bulk form and this modifies its properties. 3 Physical properties of materials such as electrical properties are characterized by the mean free path of electrons i.e. electron collision with atoms or ions. This mean free path changes at nanoscale. 4 Bulk properties of materials such as hardness changes at nanoscale. Nanoparticles are much harder and tougher as compared to the bulk form.Electrical Properties Electrical resistivity of materials having nano-sized grain is larger than the polycrystalline materials, When electrons are moving they get scattered at grain boundaries, This results in higher resistivity. r T oulomb Staircase ° e v jhe v Coulomb blocade I-V Characteristics When voltage V is applied across the conductor, current I flowing through it is given by Ohm's Law and gives a linear graph whereas for nanomaterials, it is a step function as shown in the graph. It is observed that there appears a region around zero voltage for which there is no current, This phenomenon is known as Coulomb blockade, A single electron is transferred due to tunneling when the voltage is e/2C or its multiples.Optical properties The energy band spectrum that gives rise to characteristic optical spectrum and properties of a material changes when the material is reduced in size from bulk to nano-scale, According to &, Mie, when electromagnetic radiation of wavelength a and intensity Jo incidents on spherical particles of uniform size, embedded in a medium of length x, its intensity reduces. The intensity (1) of transmitted radiation is given by I~ Io e™ , where Jo is the incident intensity, p is the ‘extinction coefficient’ and x is length of the medium, exo Due to change in the energy band structure from bulk to nano size and also the shape of nanoparticles, for example, bulk gold is yellow while bright red or blue at nano level. Every material has a characteristic size only below which size dependent properties are realised. In semiconductors this size is the size of the exciton, In semiconductor nanoparticles, as the particles become smaller and smaller, the energy gap increases and absorption peak shifts towards higher energy / frequency values, This leads to a shift in the absorption spectrum and change in colour of particles,Mechanical properties of nanoparticles Mechanical properties of materials depend upon the composition of material, bonds between the atoms and presence of impurity. When the size of materials is reduced to nanoscale materials tend to be single— crystal. The measurements of elasticity, hardness, ductility show different behaviours as compared to the bulk material. For example, in the case of metallic nanocrystalline materials elastic moduli reduced dramatically, Hardness Hardness a XK Size in a - Size in nm At bulk level At nano level Ex, for nanocrystalline Magnesium with grain size nearly equal to 12 nanometres Young's modulus is 3200 N/mm”; where is for the same magnesium in polycrystalline form which grain size greater than 1 micrometre the Young's modulus is 4100 N/mm?, Plastic deformation in nanocrystalline materials strongly differs from that of polycrystalline bulk material that is if stress is removed the recovery to original shape / size is recovered move effectively. Hardness of materials is also related to the grain size. In the nm sizeApplications of Nanomaterials Nanotechnology has found wide range of applications in many fields. Some of these applications are discussed below. Electronics Nanosized electronic components show unique properties which are different from the largest semiconductor components. The semiconductor devices are based on the concept of charge transport only where is the nanosize components work on the concept of charge as well as pin transport of electrons. This has been used in devices like spinner 50, screen LED etc, These devices have increased the data storage capacities of hard disks and have led to the small and faster microprocessors. Energy Attempts ave being made to increase efficiency of solar cells by using nanotechnology. Another important area of research is the use of hydrogen as a fuel, The main problem with hydrogen is that it is highly combustible and hence cannot be stored easily, Efforts are being made to use carbon nanotubes to trap and store hydrogen. nanoparticles are also being used to increase the energy density of rechargeable batteries. Automobiles Nanotube composites have better mechanical strength compared to steel but are costly at present. Efforts ave being made to develop cheaper nanotube composites that can replace steel which is used to construct the body structure of automobiles. Use of nanoparticles in paints provides thin and smooth coatings. Nanoparticles are being used Bede ae ta - eb Oe be cewhich will increase the mileage of automobiles. The use of carbon nanotubes for storing hydrogen is being explode so that the automobiles can be run on hydrogen as a fuel, Nanomaterial catalysts can be used as catalyst to convert the harmful emissions from automobiles to less harmful gases. Space and defence Aerogels are porous materials with nanosized force. They have very low density and are poor conductors of heat. They can be used in spacecrafts, lightweight suits and jackets. Polymer composites using silica fibres and nanoparticles have larger mechanical strength and low temperature coefficient of expansion. They can be used in spacecraft which have to withstand high temperature and stress conditions during launching and entry into the earth's atmosphere. Satellites and spacecraft use solar energy. The efficiency of solar cells can be increased using nanoparticles, The use of nanoparticles will also make the solar cell smaller in size and light in weight. Medical nanoparticles can be used for detection and treatment of cancer and tumor. The nanoparticles are injected into the body and quided towards a specific part. Drugs can be encapsulated in nanocapsules and quided towards specific part where the drug can be delivered in a controlled manner by opening the capsule at a desived rate using magnetic fields ave infrared light. This targeted drug delivery does not affect the healthy organs. In a technology based test are being developed for past detection of viruses and antibodies.pplications of nanotechnology in Electronics Single electyon transistor SET The single electron transistor is a switching device in which a quantum dot is placed between the source and the drain, It uses controlled electron tunneling to amplifier current, They offer low power consumption and high operating speed, — Spin valves spin valves are commercially used in computer vead heads. Their use has enabled them to increase the data storage capacity of magnetic memory devices due to their ability to detect small magnetic fields. — Giant MagnetoResistance (6MR) GUR effect is the change in magnetic field of certain materials after application of magnetic field, This is very effective in observing small changes in the magnetic field and useful as a device of a magnetically stored data to stop the data storing and reading in computer hard disks is the direct application of aMR, - Nano photonics Nanophotonics, nano structures that is quantum dots coma nanowires or 2D thin films aur nanocomposites are used to produce light or detect light they can be used for light production, propagation, manipulation like amplification, filter, detection etc —Display technologies for TV and monitor The flat panel television or computer monitors are products of nanotechnology. Even the coatings used on the screens of TV or monitors can be of nanoparticles, which have better properties in terms of colour quality and resolution than microparticle coatings.Applications of nanotechnology in space and defence . Aerogels - Aerogels ave designed using nano materials and have very low density typically 0,01I- 0.8 g/CC, They are very lightweight and poor conductors of heat and have potential applications in designing spacecraft, defence equipment, suits, jackets ete to reduce the weight. : High efficiency lightweight solar cells — Satellites or spacecraft are mainly powered by solar eneray. current is solar cells have reached an efficiency of 35 and 40%. Using luminescent dye sensitized nanoparticle— based solar cell arrays have potential to reduce the weight of solar cells as well as increase in efficiency, : Insulation for space vehicles — space vehicles should withstand harsh and extreme conditions during launching and in space, Materials should also sustain high or low temperature and high or low pressure. Use of silica fibres and nanoparticles provide insulation in solid rocket motors and also they are better radiation protectors, . Better igniters and propellants — Nanocrystalline materials such as aluminium particles are better propellants than conventional one. A nanocomposite of Fe203 and Aluminium burns much faster and is move sensitive than conventional thermites. + Fatigue resistant materials - fatique strength in aircraft usually decreases with time, Some nanomaterials have better fatigue strength and life is increased by 200 to 300%, : Detection of biological weapons - Biological weapons may use dangerous microbes or viruses as weapons, Some nanoparticle oxides like Cad, Al203 and MgO interact with such chemicals much faster than microparticles and are suited for fast composition of warfare chemicals.Applications of nanotechnology in automobiles Sturdy structural parts — Various body parts of vehicles are made up of steel, some alloys rubbers, plastics ete. Nanotube composites have mechanical strength better than steel Smooth and non scratch paints — Nanoparticle paints provide smooth, non scratch thin attractive coating. self cleaning glass for windows — Self—cleaning glass can be made by dissolving small amounts of Titania nanoparticles while manufacturing in glass. Titanium is able to dissociate organic dust in presence of UV light available in the sunlight. Drops of water on glass give a hazy look but Ti02 contained glass can spread water evenly giving to clear site. Small motor parts — Small motors are needed in vehicles. Very powerful electric motors are made using shape memory alloys used in nanoparticles of materials like Ni-Ti and vequire less power and give better performance. Better tyres — Tyres of vehicles undergo wear and tear with use, By using nanoparticle clay, better lightweight, less rubber consuming thinner tyres are possible, that can reduce the overall weight, decrease in fuel consumption and increase in speed, Controlling harmful emission — Use of efficient nanomaterial catalysts is one solution to convert harmful emission into less harmful gases. Large surface area of nanoparticles is useful to produce better catalysts. They are capable of absorbing emission of particles and poisonous gases like CO and NO from vehicle exhaust. Hydrogen fuel — When hydrogen fuel is burnt, it can only produce harmless water vapour. Hydrogen gas is not normally stored in a metal cylinder under high pressure. Nano cylinders of carbon nanotubes have the