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02/26/2004 -
Introduction to Nanotechnology (2003)
by Charles P. Poole, Jr. and Frank J. Owens
ISBN 0-471-07935-9. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey. 2003. Hardcover. 388 pages. $79.95.
Nanotechnology is a new branch of knowledge that deals with things that are less than 100 nm in size. To give an introduction to nanotechnology is not an easy task as it encompasses many different branches of science, from biology to engineering devices. The authors have succeeded in their attempt to explain this technology to scientists and engineers. The coverage, however, revolves mostly around the fundamentals of the physics of materials, possibly reflecting the background of the authors.
An introduction to materials science is presented, forming a basis to compare how size changes properties of nanostructured materials. Various properties, such as magnetism, change dramatically as size goes down to the nanometer range. Furthermore, the barrier between organic or inorganic materials is coming down in the nanoworld.
A chapter dealing with carbon nanotubes discusses the discovery of C60 and other carbon clusters, their physical and chemical properties, and applications. For mechanical applications, there is a need for bulk materials based on nanotechnology. The production and properties of these bulk nanostructured materials are covered in this book, as well as magnetism of nanomaterials, quantum wells, wires, and dots. Other topics covered include the chemical aspects of nanomaterials, including catalysts and polymers; biological materials; and small devices such as micro- and nano-electro mechanical systems.
The chapter on optical and vibrational spectroscopy could have been combined with Chapter 3, where various measuring techniques, including spectroscopy, were discussed. Some coverage of boundary lubrication would have been useful and would qualify as nanotechnology.
The diagrams in this book are redrawn and presented in a professional manner. The quality of these sketches is one of the book’s strengths. Its weakness is glaring typographical errors, such as deoxyribonucleic (not desoxyribonucleic) acid. In addition, some references to figure numbers in the text also got mixed up, and the book had a few minor grammatical errors. There is no reference for some of the key concepts except a general list of books for further reading.
The authors have pitched the book at a level suitable for post-graduate students and researchers. Undergraduate students may have difficulty in understanding the chapters that fall outside their specialization. Anyone who is beginning post-graduation study or research in nanotechnology would find this book useful. This area is moving at a pace that any summary of the technology is bound to be limited and will be superseded by new developments. Technical managers and business executives would find this book useful to understand this new technology.
The book has achieved its goal of providing a summary and commentary on this subject. Small is beautiful, but can we make it useful too? The answer seems to be affirmative if we go by the large infusion of funding and the explosion of research activities in this area.
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