Microalgal Nanobiotechnology and Its
Applications—A Brief Overview
I. A. Adelere and A. Lateef
1 Introduction
Nanotechnology is a branch of science that deals with the synthesis and application
of nanosized materials. It is emerging as a fast growing field with many applications
virtually in every aspect of life due to the production of nanomaterials. Nanoparticles are the building block of nanotechnology and are presently gaining importance as they possess very unique physicochemical properties. In nanotechnology,
metallic and non-metallic nanoparticles are produced, but metallic nanoparticles are
the most preferred due to their superior properties and functional versatility. Nanoparticles were previously produced only by physical and chemical methods like chemical reduction, electrochemical and photochemical reactions, attrition, and pyrolysis
(Rodriguez-Sánchez et al. 2000; Balantrapu and Goia 2009; Chen et al. 2013). Basically, two approaches are adopted for the synthesis of nanoparticles, namely bottomup and top-down approaches. The top-down approach involves removal of certain
parts of bulk material using mechanical (physical) or chemical means, whereas in
the bottom-up approach, the synthesis involves attachment of materials with a base
substrate (Singh et al. 2010).
The common physical and chemical approaches used for nanoparticles synthesis
have some major drawbacks which are the presence of toxic chemical contaminants
from precursor chemicals, generation of harmful by-products, high production cost,
I. A. Adelere (B)
Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria
e-mail: isiaka.ade@futminna.edu.ng
I. A. Adelere · A. Lateef
Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, Department of Pure and Applied
Biology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria
A. Lateef
Nanotechnology Research Group (NANO+), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology,
Ogbomoso, Nigeria
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
A. Lateef et al. (eds.), Microbial Nanobiotechnology, Materials Horizons: From Nature
to Nanomaterials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4777-9_8
233
Applications—A Brief Overview
I. A. Adelere and A. Lateef
1 Introduction
Nanotechnology is a branch of science that deals with the synthesis and application
of nanosized materials. It is emerging as a fast growing field with many applications
virtually in every aspect of life due to the production of nanomaterials. Nanoparticles are the building block of nanotechnology and are presently gaining importance as they possess very unique physicochemical properties. In nanotechnology,
metallic and non-metallic nanoparticles are produced, but metallic nanoparticles are
the most preferred due to their superior properties and functional versatility. Nanoparticles were previously produced only by physical and chemical methods like chemical reduction, electrochemical and photochemical reactions, attrition, and pyrolysis
(Rodriguez-Sánchez et al. 2000; Balantrapu and Goia 2009; Chen et al. 2013). Basically, two approaches are adopted for the synthesis of nanoparticles, namely bottomup and top-down approaches. The top-down approach involves removal of certain
parts of bulk material using mechanical (physical) or chemical means, whereas in
the bottom-up approach, the synthesis involves attachment of materials with a base
substrate (Singh et al. 2010).
The common physical and chemical approaches used for nanoparticles synthesis
have some major drawbacks which are the presence of toxic chemical contaminants
from precursor chemicals, generation of harmful by-products, high production cost,
I. A. Adelere (B)
Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria
e-mail: isiaka.ade@futminna.edu.ng
I. A. Adelere · A. Lateef
Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, Department of Pure and Applied
Biology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria
A. Lateef
Nanotechnology Research Group (NANO+), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology,
Ogbomoso, Nigeria
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
A. Lateef et al. (eds.), Microbial Nanobiotechnology, Materials Horizons: From Nature
to Nanomaterials, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4777-9_8
233