Appendix

Figure I.1: Nature has been doing nanotechnology for millions and millions of years. Many creatures in nature are perfect examples of nanotechnology. The hydrophobic surface characteristic of a lotus, for example, prevents it from being contaminated by mud or dirt The duck is a very capable animal that walks on land, swims in water, and flies in the air. In contrast to chickens, duck feathers do not get wet due to the hydrophobic structure on the surface. The structure of a seashell is an intelligently nanostructured material that exhibits geometric beauty, structural integrity, and mechanical rigidity.

Figure I.2: Nanotechnology has been in research ever since modern science was initiated. Faraday was one of the first scientists to make gold nanoparticles, but before then, ancient Chinese have used gold nanoparticles in the paint on their ceramics to create an ever-bright red color.

Figure I.3: There have been many technological revolutions in human history, each of which has greatly impacted human life. The most recent one is in information technology, then, what is next? Scientists believe that it will be nanotechnology. Nanomaterials are the fundamental basis of nanotechnology.

Figure I.4: The classical approach for microelectronics is top-down, which means that the devices are fabricated using lithographic technique so that billions of devices are fabricated simultaneously. The smallest devices that can be fabricated using this technique are likely to reach the level of ?10 nm. On the other hand, the atom-by-atom engineering approach starts from the most fundamental units of matters for...

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Handbook of Nanophase and Nanostructured Materials, Volume 1: Synthesis

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