ABSTRACT
Nanoscience and nanotechnology are the emerging fields that deal with the materials in “nano” (10−9) scale. Developments in nanoscience and nanotechnology are increasing day by day, and the application of nanotechnology-based products and processes are also expanding. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are widely applied in electronics, electrical, communication, construction, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, agriculture, food and beverages, and wastewater treatment sectors. Nanoscience may be broadly defined, based on the length scale, as understanding and manipulation of matter at the nanometer scale. In other words, it is defined by the European Union as “the study of phenomena and manipulation of materials at atomic, molecular, and macromolecular scales, where properties differ significantly from those at a large scale.” Although both physical and chemical properties of a materials change with the size, there is no accurate way of defining nanoparticles based on their size. Nanoparticles definition is more related to the behavior of the particles at the nano size than the size itself. Nanoscience is one of the most important developments in the recent decades (Whitesides 2005).
