09/6/2005 -
Nano-Architectured and Nanostructured Materials: Fabrication, Control and Properties (2004)
edited by Yannick Champion and Hans-Jörg Fecht
ISBN 3-527-31008-8. Wiley-VCH, Germany. 2004. Hardcover. 166 pages. $150.
| REVIEWED BY: | C. Sudakar, The Royal Institute of Technology
|
Methods of synthesis and fabrication of nanostructured materials have been the focus of several investigations. Such nanostructures are considered to be of significant interest for both fundamental and application aspects. Nano-Architectured and Nanostructured Materials: Fabrication, Control and Properties contains research articles related to science and engineering of nanomaterials presented at Euromat 2003, held in Lausanne, Switzerland. This compilation tries to provide articles that cover new nanometric architectures that would be of particular interest for applications, the related technological routes, and the field of nanostructured materials with an understanding of synthesis-property correlations.
Papers from two symposia—Nanostructured Materials and Fabrication, Control, and Properties of Nano-Architectured Materials—cover the following topics in brief: synthesis and properties of carbon nanotubes, nanocrystalline metallic particles (Cu, Ag-doped Cu, nanoporous Au, Pd nanoparticles), ceramic particles and fibers, microanalyses and neutron-powder diffraction of nanocomposites, and thin-film (layer-by-layer) and block copolymer assemblies of nanostructured materials. Also, empirical modeling of the nanocrystalline process and relaxation dynamics in soft magnetic amorphous ribbons are presented.
The articles are good illustrations of basic "nano"-related materials. Therefore, they are recommended for beginners in the research field of nanomaterials to get ideas and to stimulate thinking about more application-oriented material processing and fabrication. The complimentary characterization techniques employed to explore the structural, electronic, optical, mechanical, chemical, and biological properties give a basic approach to study the property of these novel nanomaterials. Also, the articles set good examples for how results can be presented.
Although the articles presented reflect some of the evolution and understanding in nanostructured and nano-architectured materials, the coverage of the materials and methodologies remain very limited. In general, two distinct paths can be taken toward fabrication of nanometer-scale structures. The first approach is to perceive fabrication from top down, namely using a subtractive patterning technique to sculpt existing materials into desired forms. The second is synthetic, in other words, building through an additive assembly of subunits. In this case, the concern is with assembly atom-by-atom from the bottom up. Each approach has several variations and particular advantages. A few review articles on this line in the present compilation would have been most appealing.
Of some concern is error in the figure presentation. For example, Figures 1–3 in the article "Palladium Nanoparticles Generation within Microcellular Polymeric Foam" have been misprinted with irrelevant figures from another article. This needs to be appended with errata including the corrected figures.
In summary, the compiled articles will appeal to students who look for a starting point in the field of nanostructured and nano-architectured materials, but the lack of presentations of novel synthesis and fabrication techniques and topical review articles may make the volume just another in the literature.
For more on Nano-Architectured and Nanostructured Materials: Fabrication, Control and Properties, visit the Wiley web site. |
