Science at the Nanoscale

Nanotechnology is one of the most important growth areas of this century. Nanoscience, the science underpinning nanotechnology, is a multidisciplinary subject covering atomic, molecular and solid state physics, as well as much of chemistry. Nanostructures are known to exhibit novel and improved material properties, fundamentally because the physical and chemical properties are very different when dimensions are reduced to the nanometer range.This book thus aims to introduce the various basic principles and knowledge needed for students to understand science at the nanoscale. Many ideas proposed in nanotechnology are frontier and futuristic, although some have immediate technological applications. The core scientific principles of all nanotechnology applications, however, are grounded in physics and chemistry. There are currently numerous specialized nanoscience and nanotechnology-related texts or monographs at the graduate and senior undergraduate levels. This textbook is targeted at the junior undergraduate level or as a reference text for advanced learners at pre-university and senior high school. It has evolved from the authors' own teaching experience at tertiary institutions.