This book was developed with the goal of providing an easily understood text for those users of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) who have little or no background in the area. The SEM is routinely used to study the surface structure and chemistry of a wide range of biological and synthetic materials at the micrometer to nanometer scale. Ease-of-use, typically facile sample preparation, and straightforward image interpretation, combined with high resolution, high depth of field, and the ability to undertake microchemical and crystallographic analysis, has made scanning electron microscopy one of the most powerful and versatile techniques for characterization today. Indeed, the SEM is a vital tool for the characterization of nanostructured materials and the development of nanotechnology. However, its wide use by professionals with diverse technical backgrounds-including life science, materials science, engineering, forensics, mineralogy, etc., and in various sectors of government, industry, and academia-emphasizes the need for an introductory text providing the basics of effective SEM imaging.A Beginners' Guide to Scanning Electron Microscopy explains instrumentation, operation, image interpretation and sample preparation in a wide ranging yet succinct and practical text, treating the essential theory of specimen-beam interaction and image formation in a manner that can be effortlessly comprehended by the novice SEM user. This book provides a concise and accessible introduction to the essentials of SEM includes a large number of illustrations specifically chosen to aid readers' understanding of key concepts highlights recent advances in instrumentation, imaging and sample preparation techniques offers examples drawn from a variety of applications that appeal to professionals from diverse backgrounds.

Nano- and Microscale Drug Delivery Systems: Design and Fabrication presents the developments that have taken place in recent years in the field of micro- and nanoscale drug delivery systems. Particular attention is assigned to the fabrication and design of drug delivery systems in order to i) reduce the side effects of therapeutic agents, ii) increase their pharmacological effect, and iii) improve aqueous solubility and chemical stability of different therapeutic agents. This book is designed to offer a cogent, concise overview of current scholarship in this important area of research through its focus on the characterization and fabrication of a variety of nanomaterials for drug delivery applications. It is an invaluable reference source for both biomaterials scientists and biomedical engineers who want to learn more about how nanomaterials are engineered and used in the design of drug delivery nanosystems.

This book addresses theoretical and experimental methods for exploring microstructured metamaterials, with a special focus on wave dynamics, mechanics, and related physical properties. The authors use various mathematical and physical approaches to examine the mechanical properties inherent to particular types of metamaterials. These include: * Boundary value problems in reduced strain gradient elasticity for composite fiber-reinforced metamaterials * Self-organization of molecules in ferroelectric thin films * Combined models for surface layers of nanostructures * Computer simulation at the micro- and nanoscale * Surface effects with anisotropic properties and imperfect temperature contacts * Inhomogeneous anisotropic metamaterials with uncoupled and coupled surfaces or interfaces * Special interface finite elements and other numerical and analytical methods for composite structures

The investigation of the origin and formation of microstructures and the effect that microstructure has on the properties of materials are important issues in materials science and technology. Geometrical analysis is often the key to understanding the formation of microstructures and the resulting material properties. The authors make use of mathematical morphology, spatial statistics, image processing, stereology and stochastic geometry to analyze microstructures arising in materials science.

• Quantitative microstructure analysis is one of the most successful experimental techniques in materials science

• Uses examples to demonstrate the techniques

• Program code included enables the reader to apply the numerous algorithms

• Accessible to material scientists with limited statistical knowledge

Nanocharacterization Techniques covers the main characterization techniques used in nanomaterials and nanostructures. The chapters focus on the fundamental aspects of characterization techniques and their distinctive approaches. Significant advances that have taken place over recent years in refining techniques are covered, and the mathematical foundations needed to use the techniques are also explained in detail. This book is an important reference for materials scientists and engineers looking for a through analysis of nanocharacterization techniques in order to establish which is best for their needs.

Light Robotics - Structure-Mediated Nanobiophotonics covers the latest means of sculpting of both light and matter for achieving bioprobing and manipulation at the smallest scales. The synergy between photonics, nanotechnology and biotechnology spans the rapidly growing field of nanobiophotonics. Nanoscale resolutions enable optical scientists to assess ever more accurate information. However, scientific hypothesis testing demands tools, not only for observing nanoscopic phenomena, but also for reaching into and manipulating nanoscale constituents. Taking an application based focus, this book explores how nanophotonics can productively be used in both the biomedical and life sciences, allowing readers to clearly see how structure-mediated nanobiophotonics can be used to increase our engineering toolbox for biology at the smallest scales. This book will be of great use to researchers and scientists working in the fields of optics and photonics. It will also be of great value to those working in the field of biotechnology, showcasing how nanotechnology can help provide new, effective ways to solve biomedical problems.

This book discusses recent advances in hydrogels, including their generation and applications and presents a compendium of fundamental concepts. It highlights the most important hydrogel materials, including physical hydrogels, chemical hydrogels, and nanohydrogels and explores the development of hydrogel-based novel materials that respond to external stimuli, such as temperature, pressure, pH, light, biochemicals or magnetism, which represent a new class of intelligent materials. With their multiple cooperative functions, hydrogel-based materials exhibit different potential applications ranging from biomedical engineering to water purification systems. This book covers key topics including superabsorbent polymer hydrogel; intelligent hydrogels for drug delivery; hydrogels from catechol-conjugated materials; nanomaterials loaded hydrogel; electrospinning of hydrogels; biopolymers-based hydrogels; injectable hydrogels; interpenetrating-polymer-network hydrogels: radiation- and sonochemical synthesis of micro/nano/macroscopic hydrogels; DNA-based hydrogels; and multifunctional applications of hydrogels. It will prove a valuable resource for researchers working in industry and academia alike.

Thermoelectricity and Heat Transport in Graphene and Other 2D Nanomaterials describes thermoelectric phenomena and thermal transport in graphene and other 2-dimentional nanomaterials and devices. Graphene, which is an example of an atomic monolayered material, has become the most important growth area in materials science research, stimulating an interest in other atomic monolayeric materials. The book analyses flow management, measurement of the local temperature at the nanoscale level and thermoelectric transducers, with reference to both graphene and other 2D nanomaterials. The book covers in detail the mechanisms of thermoelectricity, thermal transport, interface phenomena, quantum dots, non-equilibrium states, scattering and dissipation, as well as coherent transport in low-dimensional junctions in graphene and its allotropes, transition metal dichalcogenides and boron nitride. This book aims to show readers how to improve thermoelectric transducer efficiency in graphene and other nanomaterials. The book describes basic ingredients of such activity, allowing readers to gain a greater understanding of fundamental issues related to the heat transport and the thermoelectric phenomena of nanomaterials. It contains a thorough analysis and comparison between theory and experiments, complemented with a variety of practical examples.

This book focuses on the state-of-the-art of biosensor research and development for specialists and non-specialists. It introduces the fundamentals of the subject with relevant characteristics of transducer elements, as well as biochemical recognition molecules. This book is ideal for researchers of nanotechnology, materials science and biophysics.

This book describes advanced research on the structures and photochemical properties of polyatomic molecules and molecular clusters having various functionalities under cold gas-phase conditions. Target molecules are crown ethers, polypeptides, large size protonated clusters, metal clusters, and other complex polyatomic molecules of special interest. A variety of advanced frequency and time-domain laser spectroscopic methods are applied. The book begins with the principle of an experimental setup for cold gas-phase molecules and various laser spectroscopic methods, followed by chapters on investigation of specific molecular systems. Through a molecular-level approach and analysis by quantum chemical calculation, it is possible to learn how atomic and molecular-level interactions (van der Waals, hydrogen-bonding, and others) control the specific properties of molecules and clusters. Those properties include molecular recognition, induced fitting, chirality, proton and hydrogen transfer, isomerization, and catalytic reaction. The information will be applicable to the design of new types of functional molecules and nanoparticles in the broad area that includes applied chemistry, drug delivery systems, and catalysts.

This book discusses the latest developments of the synthesis, preparation, characterization, and applications of nano/microstructure-based materials in biomedical and energetic fields. It introduces several popular approaches to fabricating these materials, including template-assisted fabrication, electrospinning of organic/inorganic hybrid materials, biomineralization-mediated self-assembly, etc. The latest results in material evaluation for targeted applications are also presented. In particular, the book highlights the latest advances and future challenges in polymer nanodielectrics for energy storage applications. As such, it offers a valuable reference guide for scholars interested in the synthesis and evaluation of nano/microstructure-based materials, as well as their biomedical and energetic applications. It also provides essential insights for graduate students and scientists pursuing research in the broad fields of composite materials, polymers, organic/inorganic hybrid materials, nano-assembly, etc.

Nanostructures for Novel Therapy: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications focuses on the fabrication and characterization of therapeutic nanostructures, in particular, synthesis, design, and in vitro and in vivo therapeutic evaluation. The chapters provide a cogent overview of recent therapeutic applications of nanostructured materials that includes applications of nanostructured materials for wound healing in plastic surgery and stem cell therapy. The book explores the promise for more effective therapy through the use of nanostructured materials, while also assessing the challenges their use might pose from both an economic and medicinal point of view. This innovative look at how nanostructured materials are used in therapeutics will be of great benefit to researchers, providing a greater understanding of the different ways nanomaterials could improve medical treatment, along with a discussion of the obstacles that need to be overcome in order to guarantee widespread availability.

Volume 2 of the Handbook of Colloid and Interface Science is a survey into the theory of dispersions in a variety of fields, as well as characterization by rheology. It is an ideal reference work for research scientists, universities, and industry practitioners looking for a complete understanding of how colloids and interfaces behave in the areas of materials science, chemical engineering, and colloidal science.

This thesis focuses on the study of interactions between protein and peptides and their potential applications in cell imaging and nanoparticle surface modification. Drawing inspiration from naturally occurring coiled-coil binding pairs, it proposes a novel covalent peptide tag and probe system, based on the concept of "affinity guided covalent conjugation." This newly established methodology provides complementary resolution to protein labeling, imaging and trafficking. By systematically investigating the coordination interaction between protein and quantum dots using various engineered protein ligands, this thesis proposes a general rule for protein self-assembly on the surface of quantum dots and reports a revolutionized nanobelt protein in accordance with this rule. It is an extraordinary example of interdisciplinary research, providing answers to real-life biological problems from a chemistry perspective.

This book is the first to focus specifically on cancer nanotheranostics. Each of the chapters that make up this comprehensive volume is authored by a researcher, clinician, or regulatory agency member known for their expertise in this field. Theranostics, the technology to simultaneously diagnose and treat a disease, is a nascent field that is growing rapidly in this era of personalized medicine. As the need for cost-effective disease diagnosis grows, drug delivery systems that can act as multifunctional carriers for imaging contrast and therapy agents could provide unique breakthroughs in oncology. Nanotechnology has enabled the development of smart theranostic platforms that can concurrently diagnose disease, start primary treatment, monitor response and initiate secondary treatments if required. In oncology, chemotherapeutics have been routinely used. Some drugs have proven effective but all carry risks of adverse side effects. There is growing interest in using remotely triggered drug delivery systems to limit cytotoxicity in the diseased area. This book reviews the use of theranostic nanoparticles for cancer applications over the past decade. First, it briefly discusses the challenges and limitations of conventional cancer treatments, and presents an overview of the use of nanotechnology in treating cancer. These introductory chapters are followed by those exploring cancer diagnosis and a myriad of delivery methods for nanotherapeutics. The book also addresses multifunctional platforms, treatment monitoring, and regulatory considerations. As a whole, the book aims to briefly summarize the development and clinical potential of various nanotheranostics for cancer applications, and to delineate the challenges that must be overcome for successful clinical development and implementation of such cancer theranostics.

IR spectroscopy has become without any doubt a key technique to answer questions raised when studying the interaction of proteins or peptides with solid surfaces for a fundamental point of view as well as for technological applications.

Principle, experimental set ups, parameters and interpretation rules of several advanced IR-based techniques; application to biointerface characterisation through the presentation of recent examples, will be given in this book. It will describe how to characterise amino acids, protein or bacterial strain interactions with metal and oxide surfaces, by using infrared spectroscopy, in vacuum, in the air or in an aqueous medium. Results will highlight the performances and perspectives of the technique.
Description of the principles, expermental setups and parameter interpretation, and the theory for several advanced IR-based techniques for interface characterisationContains examples which demonstrate the capacity, potential and limits of the IR techniquesHelps finding the most adequate mode of analysisContains examplesContains a glossary by techniques and by keywords

With contributions by leading international experts, this book presents a detailed compilation of a new and very active field. It is the first book devoted to the covalent coupling of molecular precursors on surfaces that allows the preparation of 0D, 1D and 2D molecules that cannot be synthesized in solution. This book is aimed at students and researchers interested in nanochemistry and molecular devices and it gives the reader a pedagogical up-to-date vision of the most recent developments. The editor ensures a multidisciplinary approach involving molecular chemistry, surface sciences, surface spectroscopies, theory, scanning tunneling and non-contact atomic force microscopies.

Volume 1 of the Handbook of Colloid and Interface Science is a survey of the theory of colloids in a variety of fields, as well as theircharacterization by rheology. It is an ideal reference work for research scientists, universities, and industry practitioners looking for a complete understanding of how colloids and interfaces behave.

Updating the Artech House bestseller, "Fundamentals and Applications of Microfluidics", this newly revised second edition provides electrical and mechanical engineers with complete and current coverage of microfluidics - an emerging field involving fluid flow and devices in microscale and nanoscale. The second edition offers a greatly expanded treatment of nanotechnology, electrokinetics and flow theory. The book shows engineers how to take advantage of the performance benefits of microfluidics and serves as an instant reference for state-of-the-art microfluidics technology and applications. The wide range of applications discussed includes fluid control devices, gas and fluid measurement devices, medical testing equipment, and implantable drug pumps. Professionals learn how to choose the best fabrication and enabling technology for a specific microfluidic application.

This book covers the latest development in the biotechnological application of extremophiles. Along with this the impact of climate change and environmental pollution on loss of diversity of extremophiles is also discussed. This is crucial as the loss of this diversity is related with the loss of many bioactive compounds and bacteria of ecological importance. This volume outlines applications of extremophiles in biotechnology, nanotechnology, and bioremediation.

Chemically Modified Nanopores and Nanochannels is devoted to chemically modified nanopores and nanochannels, and covers the fundamentals of transport in chemically modified systems, an account of the different preparation and characterization techniques of chemically modified nanopores, their applications, and case studies. The book is designed for materials and biomaterials scientists, biomedical engineers, chemists, and chemical engineers who are interested in designing and utilizing processes to synthesize, modify, characterize, use, and model nanopores. The strong chemical focus of the book differentiates it from other books published on nanopores, which traditionally focus either on physics, biophysics, and nanofabrication (solid-state nanopores) or biophysics and biology (biological ion channels and pores).

This book presents the dispersion relation in heavily doped nano-structures. The materials considered are III-V, II-VI, IV-VI, GaP, Ge, Platinum Antimonide, stressed, GaSb, Te, II-V, HgTe/CdTe superlattices and Bismuth Telluride semiconductors. The dispersion relation is discussed under magnetic quantization and on the basis of carrier energy spectra. The influences of magnetic field, magneto inversion, and magneto nipi structures on nano-structures is analyzed. The band structure of optoelectronic materials changes with photo-excitation in a fundamental way according to newly formulated electron dispersion laws. They control the quantum effect in optoelectronic devices in the presence of light. The measurement of band gaps in optoelectronic materials in the presence of external photo-excitation is displayed. The influences of magnetic quantization, crossed electric and quantizing fields, intense electric fields on the on the dispersion relation in heavily doped semiconductors and super-lattices are also discussed. This book contains 200 open research problems which form the integral part of the text and are useful for graduate students and researchers. The book is written for post graduate students, researchers and engineers.

This book reports on cutting-edge modeling techniques, methodologies and tools used to understand, design and engineer nanoscale communication systems, such as molecular communication systems. Moreover, it includes introductory materials for those who are new to the field. The book's interdisciplinary approach, which merges perspectives in computer science, the biological sciences and nanotechnology, will appeal to graduate students and researchers in these three areas.The book is organized into five parts, the first of which describes the fundamentals of molecular communication, including basic concepts, models and designs. In turn, the second part examines specific types of molecular communication found in biological systems, such as neuronal communication in the brain. The book continues by exploring further types of nanoscale communication, such as fluorescence resonance energy transfer and electromagnetic-based nanoscale communication, in the third part, and by describing nanomaterials and structures for practical applications in the fourth. Lastly, the book presents nanomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery and biomolecular sensing.