The fascination with gold is a story which spans millennia, however scientists have recently found a new interest for gold when it is divided into miniscule grains, such as gold nanoparticles. This scientific enthusiasm started in various fields of science in the middle of the 1980s and the present book offers a panorama of the major scientific achievements obtained with gold nanoparticles.Various topics are reviewed such as: gold nanoparticle preparation methods, their plasmon resonance and thermo-optical properties, their catalytic properties, their use in biology and medicine as well as their possible toxicity and, finally, their future technological applications. The book also contains an in-depth study of the use of gold nanoparticles throughout the ages, starting from times where the concept of nanoparticles was beyond the realm of human imagination. All these topics are presented by world-class scientists within a set of self-contained chapters.This book may be used as an advanced textbook by graduate students and scientists who need an introduction to gold nanoparticles. It is also suitable for experts in the related areas of chemistry, biology, material science, optics and physics, who are interested in broadening their knowledge and who wish to have an overview of the subject. Each chapter gradually leads the reader from the basics of a topic towards some of the current scientific challenges in the area. The necessary background material to achieve a solid understanding of each topic and the scientific literature to go further in the field is provided.

Gold Nanoparticles for Physics, Chemistry and Biology offers an overview of recent research into gold nanoparticles, covering their discovery, usage and contemporary practical applications.This Second Edition begins with a history of over 2000 years of the use of gold nanoparticles, with a review of the specific properties which make gold unique. Updated chapters include gold nanoparticle preparation methods, their plasmon resonance and thermo-optical properties, their catalytic properties and their future technological applications. New chapters have been included, and reveal the growing impact of plasmonics in research, with an introduction to quantum plasmonics, plasmon assisted catalysis and electro-photon conversion. The growing field of nanoparticles for health is also addressed with a study of gold nanoparticles as radiosensibiliser for radiotherapy, and of gold nanoparticle functionalisation. This new edition also considers the relevance of bimetallic nanoparticles for specific applications.World-class scientists provide the most up-to-date findings for an introduction to gold nanoparticles within the related areas of chemistry, biology, material science, optics and physics. It is perfectly suited to advanced level students and researchers looking to enhance their knowledge in the study of gold nanoparticles.

Gold has traditionally been regarded as inactive as a catalytic metal. However, the advent of nanoparticulate gold on high surface area oxide supports has demonstrated its high catalytic activity in many chemical reactions. Gold is active as a heterogeneous catalyst in both gas and liquid phases, and complexes catalyse reactions homogeneously in solution. Many of the reactions being studied will lead to new application areas for catalysis by gold in pollution control, chemical processing, sensors and fuel cell technology. This book describes the properties of gold, the methods for preparing gold catalysts and ways to characterise and use them effectively in reactions. The reaction mechanisms and reasons for the high activities are discussed and the applications for gold catalysis considered.

The intersection of religion and development has for some decades been considered contentious, with scholars of both disciplines inhibited by the constraints of either the religious or the secular paradigm they primarily inhabit. Development Beyond the Secular aims to provide a new resource for those interested in the study of religions and development (primarily postgraduate and academic), and for those development practitioners wishing to contextualize their discipline within a religious frame. Using the work of Christian Aid as its primary lens, this book examines and critiques the theological underpinnings of development work and questions how Christian values are manifest through day-to-day work in the world of poverty eradication. Table of Contents 1. Practical Theology and Faith-based Development 2. Secular and Faith-based Development *Defining development *The shared origins of faith and secular development *Economic growth models of development *Secularization and its impact on development *Faith discourses of development *The capabilities approach, faith and development 3. Three Theological Voices: Discerning faith at work *The three theological voices - explicit, implicit and null *Christian Aid's identity expressed through the voices *Christian Aid's values expressed through the voices *Christian Aid's theologies of international development *Working with Christian Aid's theologies of development 4. New Life in Christ: A renewed theology of development *A Christology of development for a prophetic future *Christ as equality: A theology of mutual partnership