Microbial nanobiotechnology: principles and applications

Milestones and developments in microbiology have been defined by constant changes in the outlook of the discipline, from being a basic science course in the nineteenth century to the applied exploitation of microbes that gave birth to microbial technology as a component of biotechnology in the twentieth century and its entry into the field of nanoscience in the twenty-first century to herald the sub-discipline of microbial nanobiotechnology that exists at the interface of basic microbiology, applied microbiology/microbial technology and nanoscience. The unique attributes of microbes, high multiplication rates, diversity and tolerance to challenging environmental factors, efficient and versatile metabolic machineries, controllable growth and amenable genetic manipulation have been regularly exploited to advance the applications of microbes in nanobiotechnology. Being a new emerging area, there is dearth of reading texts on microbial nanobiotechnology. The current endeavour is therefore to produce a textbook that would serve as a vital resource material on the contributions of micro-organisms to advances in nanotechnology, establishing their applications in diverse areas of biomedicine, environment, biocatalysis, food and nutrition, and renewable energy. It attempts to bridge the gap between life sciences and nanotechnology towards stimulating the interests of applied microbiologists and biochemists in nanotechnology. It would serve as a good compendium documenting the impacts of micro-organisms in nanotechnology, leading to further developments in the sub-discipline of “microbial nanobiotechnology”. The text would be of immense use to graduate students and researchers of microbiology, biochemistry and nanotechnology.