Nanotechnology

Emergence in nanotechnology, types of nanomaterials, zero-dimensional, one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and advanced nanomaterials. Major challenges in nanoscience and technology.

Fabrication methods: Bottom-up and top-down approach, solution phase, and vapor phase synthesis.

Physical methods- Physical vapor deposition (evaporation, sputtering, and plasma processing methods), chemical vapor deposition, epitaxial growth method, ball milling, and lithography.

Chemical methods- Sol-gel process, reduction method, self-assembly method, coprecipitation, microemulsion, solvothermal, microwave synthesis, evaporation, template synthesis, sonochemical synthesis, radiation-assisted synthesis, chemical etching

Biological methods-Synthesis using microorganisms, biological templates, plants, and plant extracts.

Properties of nanomaterials: Structural properties, electronic properties, magnetic properties, electrical properties, optical properties, and mechanical properties. Surface energy controls the different properties of nanomaterials.

Stabilization of nanoparticles: Electrostatic and steric stabilization of nanoparticles, quantum confinement effect.

Carbon nanomaterials: Fullerenes, graphenes, nanotubes.

Principle, Instrumentation and applications of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, X-Ray powder diffraction in the characterization of nanomaterials.

UV-Visible Spectroscopy- Electronic transitions (185-800 nm), Beer-Lambert rule, hypsochromic & bathochromic shifts, effect of conjugation, solvent effects, chromophores & auxochromes, characterization of organic compounds application of Woodward-Feiser rules to conjugated dienes. Elementary idea of fluorescence spectroscopy.

IR Spectroscopy- Force constants, Overtones, combination bands and fermi-resonance, factors affecting the shift in group frequencies- isotope effect, hydrogen bonding, solvent effect, electronic effects (inductive and mesomeric) and steric effect, different absorption regions in IR spectrum and vibrational coupling. Characteristics functional group absorptions- carbon skeletal vibrations (alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, aromatic compounds), alcohols, phenols, ethers, ketones, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, amides, acid anhydrides, conjugated carbonyl compounds, esters, lactones, amines.

Basic theory of Fuel cell; Hydrogen production and storage; Photoelectrochemical splitting of water; Electrochemical sensors- Enzyme based sensors, affinity biosensors, gas sensors; Catalysis and electrocatalysis, Pharmaceutical industry, Textile, Cosmetics and pollutant removal. Significance and applications of nanomaterials.