The contributions in this volume were presented at a NATO Advanced Study Institute held in Erice, Italy, 4-19 July 2013. Many aspects of important research into nanophotonics, plasmonics, semiconductor materials and devices, instrumentation for bio sensing to name just a few, are covered in depth in this volume. The growing connection between optics and electronics, due to the increasing important role plaid by semiconductor materials and devices, find their expression in the term photonics, which also reflects the importance of the photon aspect of light in the description of the performance of several optical systems. Nano-structures have unique capabilities that allow the enhanced performance of processes of interest in optical and photonic devices. In particular these structures permit the nanoscale manipulation of photons, electrons and atoms; they represent a very hot topic of research and are relevant to many devices and applications.
The various subjects bridge over the disciplines of physics, biology and chemistry, making this volume of interest to people working in these fields. The emphasis is on the principles behind each technique and on examining the full potential of each technique."

This thesis describes a new approach to the construction of "solar cells." Following nature's example, this approach has the goal to find a biomimetic self-assembling dye, whose aggregates can mimic the natural light-harvesting system of special photosynthetic active bacteria. The thesis investigates methods to control the self-assembly such that suitable dye aggregates are formed with high internal order and size-confinement. The dye aggregates can be implemented into a new type of "solar cells," designed to combine the advantages of "hybrid solar cells" and "solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells" (ss-DSSCs): dye aggregate solar cells (DASCs). This book describes the construction and first tests of a prototype for DASCs on the basis of the investigated dye aggregates. The described approach has the advantage that it will enable to build up a light-harvesting system fully synthetically in large scale in order to realize low-cost, light-weight and environmentally friendly solar cells - a worthwhile goal towards the exploitation of clean energy from sunlight.

This book provides a comprehensive view of the contemporary methods for quantum-light engineering. In particular, it addresses different technological branches and therefore allows the reader to quickly identify the best technology - application match. Non-classical light is a versatile tool, proven to be an intrinsic part of various quantum technologies. Its historical significance has made it the subject of many text books written both from theoretical and experimental point of view. This book takes another perspective by giving an insight to modern technologies used to generate and manipulate quantum light.

Fungal nanotechnology has great prospects for developing new products with industrial, agricultural, medicinal, and consumer applications in a wide range of sectors. The fields of chemical engineering, agri-food, biochemistry, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and medical device development all employ fungal products, with fungal nanomaterials currently used in applications ranging from drug development to the food industry and agricultural biotechnology. Fungal agents are an environmentally friendly, clean, non-toxic agent for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles and employ both intracellular and extracellular methods. The simplicity of scaling up and downstream processing and the presence of fungal mycelia which afford an increased surface area provide key advantages. In addition, the large spectrum of synthesized nanoparticle morphologies and the substantially faster biosynthesis rate in cell-free filtrate (due to the higher amount of proteins secreted in fungi) make this a particularly enticing route. Understanding the diversity of fungi in assorted ecosystems, as well as their interactions with other microorganisms, animals, and plants, underpins real and innovative technological developments and the applications of metal nanoparticles in many disciplines including agriculture, catalysis, and biomedical biosensors. Importantly, biogenic fungal nanoparticles show significant synergistic characteristics when combined with antibiotics and fungicides to offer substantially greater resistance to microbial growth and applications in nanomedicine ranging from topical ointments and bandages for wound healing to coated stents.

Authored by a rising star in the field and one of its pioneers, this textbook is ideal for interdisciplinary courses -- bridging chemistry, materials science, physics and biology. Adopting a completely new and visionary approach, this is a unique learning tool, focusing on just six concepts crucial for understanding nanochemistry: surface, size, shape, self-assembly, defects and the interface of biology and nanochemistry. These concepts are elucidated through the analysis of six materials representing the real life application of the nanochemistry concepts. The teaching questions included provide real "food for thought," thus training students to think as a researcher does and so develop problem-solving skills.
With a Foreword by Nobel Prize laureate Jean-Marie Lehn.
Additional material for lectures at www.wiley-vch.de/textbooks

This outstanding thesis provides a wide-ranging overview of the growth of titanium dioxide thin films and its use in photo-electrochemicals such as water splitting. The context for water splitting is introduced with the theory of semiconductor-liquid junctions, which are dealt with in detail. In particular plasmonic enhancement of TiO2 by the addition of gold nanoparticles is considered in depth, including a thorough and critical review of the literature, which discusses the possible mechanisms that may be at work. Plasmonic enhancement is demonstrated with gold nanoparticles on Nb-doped TiO2. Finally, the use of temperature and pressure to control the phase and morphology of thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition is presented.

This book presents in a concise way the Mie theory and its current applications. It begins with an overview of current theories, computational methods, experimental techniques, and applications of optics of small particles. There is also some biographic information on Gustav Mie, who published his famous paper on the colour of Gold colloids in 1908. The Mie solution for the light scattering of small spherical particles set the basis for more advanced scattering theories and today there are many methods to calculate light scattering and absorption for practically any shape and composition of particles. The optics of small particles is of interest in industrial, atmospheric, astronomic and other research. The book covers the latest developments in divers fields in scattering theory such as plasmon resonance, multiple scattering and optical force.

This book discusses the effects, modeling, latest results, and nanotechnology applications of rainbows that appear during channeling of charged particles in crystals and nanotubes. The authors begin with a brief review of the optical and particle rainbow effects followed by a detailed description of crystal rainbows, which appear in ion channeling in crystals, and their modeling using catastrophe theory. The effects of spatial and angular focusing of channeled ions are described, with special attention given to the applications of the former effect to subatomic microscopy. The results of a thorough study of the recent high-resolution channeling experiments performed with protons of energies between 2.0 and 0.7 MeV and a 55 nm thick silicon crystal are also provided. This study opens up the potential for accurate analysis of very thin crystals. Also presented are recent results related to rainbows occurring in proton transmission through carbon nanotubes, and a detailed quantum consideration of the transmission of positrons of an energy of 1 MeV through very short carbon nanotubes. This process is determined by the rainbow effect. The initial positron beam is represented as an ensemble of non-interacting Gaussian wave packets, and the principal and supernumerary primary rainbows appearing in the spatial and angular distributions of transmitted positrons are clearly identified. They are explained by the effects of wrinkling, concentration and coordination of the wave packets.

Waste Energy Harvesting overviews the latest progress in waste energy harvesting technologies, with specific focusing on waste thermal mechanical energies. Thermal energy harvesting technologies include thermoelectric effect, storage through phase change materials and pyroelectric effect. Waste mechanical energy harvesting technologies include piezoelectric (ferroelectric) effect with ferroelectric materials and nanogenerators. The book aims to strengthen the syllabus in energy, materials and physics and is well suitable for students and professionals in the fields.

Have you ever puzzled over how to perform Boolean logic at the atomic scale? Or wondered how you can carry out more general calculations in one single molecule or using a surface dangling bond atomic scale circuit? This volume gives you an update on the design of single molecule devices, such as recitfiers, switches and transistors, more advanced semi-classical and quantum boolean gates integrated in a single molecule or constructed atom by atom on a passivated semi-conductor surface and describes their interconnections with adapted nano-scale wiring. The main contributors to the field of single molecule logic gates and surface dangling bond atomic scale circuits theory and design, were brought together for the first time to contribute on topics such as molecule circuits, surface dangling bond circuits, quantum controlled logic gates and molecular qubits. Contributions in this volume originate from the Barcelona workshop of the AtMol conference series, held from January 12-13 2012.

This book presents the versatile and pivotal role of electron spin interactions in nature. It provides the background, methodologies and tools for basic areas related to spin interactions, such as spin chemistry and biology, electron transfer, light energy conversion, photochemistry, radical reactions, magneto-chemistry and magneto-biology. The book also includes an overview of designing advanced magnetic materials, optical and spintronic devices and photo catalysts. This monograph will be of interest to scientists and graduate students working in the areas related to spin interactions physics, biophysics, chemistry and chemical engineering.

Volume C forms one volume of a Handbook about Polymer Nanocomposites. Volume C deals with Polymer nano-composites of cellulose nano-particles. The preparation, architecture, characterisation, properties and application of polymer nanocomposites are discussed within some 27 chapters. Each chapter has been authored by experts in the respective field.

The book provides a detailed analysis of issues related to sub-threshold interconnect performance from the perspective of analytical approach and design techniques. Particular emphasis is laid on the performance analysis of coupling noise and variability issues in sub-threshold domain to develop efficient compact models. The proposed analytical approach gives physical insight of the parameters affecting the transient behavior of coupled interconnects. Remedial design techniques are also suggested to mitigate the effect of coupling noise. The effects of wire width, spacing between the wires, wire length are thoroughly investigated. In addition, the effect of parameters like driver strength on peak coupling noise has also been analyzed. Process, voltage and temperature variations are prominent factors affecting sub-threshold design and have also been investigated. The process variability analysis has been carried out using parametric analysis, process corner analysis and Monte Carlo technique. The book also provides a qualitative summary of the work reported in the literature by various researchers in the design of digital sub-threshold circuits. This book should be of interest for researchers and graduate students with deeper insights into sub-threshold interconnect models in particular. In this sense, this book will best fit as a text book and/or a reference book for students who are initiated in the area of research and advanced courses in nanotechnology, interconnect design and modeling.

General routes to the development of innovative, multi functional nanosystems are described by experts in the field. The systems described are based on fullerenes, nanotubes, metals (Au, Ag, Pt, etc.) and semiconductors (Si, CdS, CdTe, metal oxides), nanocrystals and polymer / biopolymer assembly systems. The book also discusses the realization and characterization of the fundamental properties of nanosystems, defined by nano-size effects, as well as the application of such systems in electronics, optics, magnetoelectronics, spintronics, biomedicine, pharmaceutical biocomplexes, and biosensors.

This research monograph presents the latest results related to the characterization of low dimensional systems. Low-angle polarized neutron scattering and X-ray scattering at grazing incidence are used as the two main techniques to explore various physical phenomena of these systems. Special focus is put on systems like thin film transition metal and rare-earth layers, oxide heterostructures, hybrid systems, self-assembled nanostructures and self-diffusion. Readers will gain in-depth knowledge about the usage of specular scattering and off-specular scattering techniques. Investigation of in-plane and out-of-plane structures and magnetism with vector magnetometric information is illustrated comprehensively. The book caters to a wide audience working in the field of nano-dimensional magnetic systems and the neutron and X-ray reflectometry community in particular.

The present work reflects a multi-disciplinary effort to address the topic of confined hydrosystems developed with a cross-fertilization panel of physics, chemists, biologists, soil and earth scientists. Confined hydrosystems include all situations in natural settings wherein the extent of the liquid phase is limited so that the solid-liquid and/or liquid-air interfaces may be critical to the properties of the whole system. Primarily, this so-called "residual" solution is occluded in pores/channels in such a way that decreases its tendency to evaporation, and makes it long-lasting in arid (Earth deserts) and hyper-arid (Mars soils) areas. The associated physics is available from domains like capillarity, adsorption and wetting, and surface forces. However, many processes are still to understand due to the close relationship between local structure and matter properties, the subtle interplay between the host and the guest, the complex intermingling among static reactivity and migration pathway. Expert contributors from Israel, Russia, Europe and US discuss the behaviour of water and aqueous solutes at different scale, from the nanometric range of carbon nanotubes and nanofluidics to the regional scale of aquifers reactive flow in sedimentary basins. This scientific scope allowed the group of participants with very different background to tackle the confinement topic at different scales. The book is organized according to four sections that include: i) flow, from nano- to mega-scale; ii) ions, hydration and transport; iii) in-pores/channels cavitation; iv) crystallization under confinement. Most of contributions relates to experimental works at different resolution, interpreted through classic thermodynamics and intermolecular forces. Simulation techniques are used to explore the atomic scale of interfaces and the migration in the thinnest angstrom-wide channels.

In Cellular and Subcellular Nanotechnology: Methods and Protocols expert researchers in the field detail the most recent advances which have been made in utilizing the enormous potential of nanotechnology for probing, imaging and manipulating life on a cellular and subcellular level. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and Practical, Cellular and Subcellular Nanotechnology: Methods and Protocols seeks to aid scientists in the further study of applying nanotechnology to all areas of biomedical sciences.

This book collects selected lectures from the Third Workshop of the Croucher Advanced Study Institute on Nano Science and Technology, and showcases contributions from world-renowned researchers. The book presents in-depth articles on the latest developments in nanomaterials and nanotechnology, and provides a cross-disciplinary perspective covering physics and biophysics, chemistry, materials science, and engineering.

Starting out with a review of the principles of nanophotonics, this book covers a wide range of novel nanofabrication technologies. The internationally recognized editor pioneered this field of research and here he has gathered together a team of authors to highlight the technical details and procedures for both discrete particle as well as surface structure generation. They also illustrate the application potential of different materials, including biological, inorganic and artificial ones.
An invaluable monograph for materials scientists, chemists, physicists, telecommunications engineers, surface and physical chemists.

Controlled radical polymerization techniques for molecular imprinting, by Mark E. Byrne From bulk polymers to nanoparticles, by Lei Ye Post-imprinting and in-cavity functionalization, by Toshifumi Takeuchi Characterization of MIPs (affinity, selectivity, site heterogeneity...), by Richard Ansell Theoretical aspects and computer modelling, by Ian Nicholls MIPs in aqueous environments, by Bin Lu MIPs for binding macromolecules, by Kenneth J. Shea Solid phase extraction, by Ecevit Yilmaz Sensors, by Sergey A. Piletsky MIPs for catalysis and synthesis, by Marina Resmini Wastewater treatment, by Bo Mattiasson MIPs as tools for bioassays, biotransformation and drug delivery, by Meiping Zhao

This book presents the application of pulsed electrical discharges in water and water dispersions of metal nanoparticles in medicine (surgery, dentistry, and oncology), biology and ecology. The intensive electrical and shock waves represent a novel technique to destroy viruses and this way to prepare anti-virus vaccines. The method of pulsed electrical discharges in water allows to decontaminate water from almost all known bacteria and spores of fungi being present in human beings. The nanoparticles used are not genotoxic and mutagenic. This book is useful for researchers and graduate students.

This book addresses the use of MEMS and micromachined devices for the investigation of nanoscience and technology, as well as biotechnology. Such micromachined tools for nanotechnology can enhance the sensitivity, spatial resolution, dexterity, selectivity, and parallel processing capability in measuring and manipulating nano-objects. The book covers state-of-the-art MEMS and NEMS devices for DNA molecular handling and analysis, cell handling and culture on a chip, chemical lab-on-a-chip, multi-probes for vacuum tunneling microscopy and AFM, and characterization of quantum semiconductor structures. Readers will gain deep insight into such developments and students will learn about the emerging field of MEMS and nanotechnology.

Metamaterials are artificially designed materials engineered to acquire their properties by their specific structure rather than their composition. They are considered a major scientific breakthrough and have attracted enormous attention over the past decade. The major challenge in obtaining an optical metamaterial active at visible frequencies is the fabrication of complex continuous metallic structures with nano metric features. This thesis presents the fabrication and characterization of optical metamaterials made by block copolymer self assembly. This approach allows fabrication of an intriguing and complex continuous 3D architecture called a gyroid, which is replicated into active plasmonic materials such as gold. The optical properties endowed by this particular gyroid geometry include reduction of plasma frequency, extraordinarily enhanced optical transmission, and a predicted negative refractive index. To date, this is the 3D optical metamaterial with the smallest features ever made.

This volume summarizes the state-of-the-art technologies, key advances and future trends in the field of label-free biosensing. It provides detailed insights into the different types of solid-state, label-free biosensors, their underlying transducer principles, advanced materials utilized, device-fabrication techniques and various applications. The book offers graduate students, academic researchers, and industry professionals a comprehensive source of information on all facets of label-free biosensing and the future trends in this flourishing field. Highlights of the subjects covered include label-free biosensing with: * semiconductor field-effect devices such as nanomaterial-modified capacitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor structures, silicon nanowire transistors, III-nitride semiconductor devices and light-addressable potentiometric sensors * impedimetric biosensors using planar and 3D electrodes * nanocavity and solid-state nanopore devices * carbon nanotube and graphene/graphene oxide biosensors * electrochemical biosensors using molecularly imprinted polymers * biomimetic sensors based on acoustic signal transduction * enzyme logic systems and digital biosensors based on the biocomputing concept * heat-transfer as a novel transducer principle * ultrasensitive surface plasmon resonance biosensors * magnetic biosensors and magnetic imaging devices