2
1 Introduction
more of the particles in the number size distribution, one or more external dimensions
is in the size range 1–100 nm. In specific cases and where warranted by concerns
for the environment, health, safety, or competitiveness the number size distribution
threshold of 50% may be replaced by a threshold between 1 and 50%” (Commission
2011).
The beginning of the twenty-first century has seen an increased interest in the
emerging fields of modern nanoscience and nanotechnology (Kagan et al. 2016).
Nanomaterials provide basic building blocks for the fabrication of various devices
with desired functions and have become the foundation of remarkable industrial
applications with exponential growth (Min et al. 2015; Sun et al. 2015b; Stark et al.
2015). Owing to their inherent shape effects and quantum size, they have many important applications ranging from electronics, catalysis, information processing, optoelectronics, environmental science, biomedical science, energy storage, and many
other fields (Abe et al. 2016; Dutta and Datta 2014; Si et al. 2016; Candelaria et al.
2012; Wu et al. 2009; Hochbaum and Yang 2009; Sichert et al. 2015).
With the recent development of nanotechnology, a new scientific field of materials physics and chemistry emphasizing the rational synthesis of nanomaterials has
emerged (Lin et al. 2012). Functional nanomaterials are especially an attractive
topic because they enable the creation of materials with new or improved properties by mixing multiple constituents and exploiting synergistic effects such as
electronic, optical, magnetic, catalytic properties or bioactivity, selective permeation, and adsorption (Gawande et al. 2016; Ouyang et al. 2015; Sampaio et al.
2015; Perreault et al. 2015; Tao et al. 2014; Gai et al. 2018). With a special property or several remarkable functions, functional nanomaterials are a type of high
added-value materials possessing potential applications in various fields including
catalysis, computing, photonics, energy, biology, and medicine (Rengan et al. 2015;
Zhang and Lieber 2015; Carrow and Gaharwar 2015; Wei et al. 2017; Sobon 2015).
For example, functional nanomaterials have had an impact on medical devices
such as drug delivery, systems diagnostic biosensors, and imaging probes (Biju
2014; Kumar et al. 2015; Li et al. 2015). The emerging field of nanobiotechnology
holds the potential of revolutionizing biomedical and biology studies by employing
new nanomaterial-based tools for investigative, diagnostic, and therapeutic techniques (Biju 2014; Wang et al. 2017; Nazir et al. 2014). Scientists have made great
efforts in developing various kinds of nanomaterials and nanofabrication techniques
in recent years. Their unique optical, magnetic, and mechanical properties of functional nanomaterials offer new opportunities for investigating complicated biological processes, which are hard to study by traditional strategies, suggesting exciting
avenues in biological and biomedical fields (Barkalina et al. 2014). Nanomaterials
provide almost unlimited combinations of various compositions, sizes, dimensions,
and shapes of materials, which can be tailored to couple different biomolecules
in order to develop nanoprobes with desired properties (Shao et al. 2015; Zhang
et al. 2015b). Nanomaterials also have dramatical improvements in production and
shelf-life in food and cosmetics industries (Ghaderi-Ghahfarokhi et al. 2017; Frewer
et al. 2014). Owing to the large surface area, they are expected to be more biologically active than larger sized particles of the same chemical composition (Wang
1 Introduction
more of the particles in the number size distribution, one or more external dimensions
is in the size range 1–100 nm. In specific cases and where warranted by concerns
for the environment, health, safety, or competitiveness the number size distribution
threshold of 50% may be replaced by a threshold between 1 and 50%” (Commission
2011).
The beginning of the twenty-first century has seen an increased interest in the
emerging fields of modern nanoscience and nanotechnology (Kagan et al. 2016).
Nanomaterials provide basic building blocks for the fabrication of various devices
with desired functions and have become the foundation of remarkable industrial
applications with exponential growth (Min et al. 2015; Sun et al. 2015b; Stark et al.
2015). Owing to their inherent shape effects and quantum size, they have many important applications ranging from electronics, catalysis, information processing, optoelectronics, environmental science, biomedical science, energy storage, and many
other fields (Abe et al. 2016; Dutta and Datta 2014; Si et al. 2016; Candelaria et al.
2012; Wu et al. 2009; Hochbaum and Yang 2009; Sichert et al. 2015).
With the recent development of nanotechnology, a new scientific field of materials physics and chemistry emphasizing the rational synthesis of nanomaterials has
emerged (Lin et al. 2012). Functional nanomaterials are especially an attractive
topic because they enable the creation of materials with new or improved properties by mixing multiple constituents and exploiting synergistic effects such as
electronic, optical, magnetic, catalytic properties or bioactivity, selective permeation, and adsorption (Gawande et al. 2016; Ouyang et al. 2015; Sampaio et al.
2015; Perreault et al. 2015; Tao et al. 2014; Gai et al. 2018). With a special property or several remarkable functions, functional nanomaterials are a type of high
added-value materials possessing potential applications in various fields including
catalysis, computing, photonics, energy, biology, and medicine (Rengan et al. 2015;
Zhang and Lieber 2015; Carrow and Gaharwar 2015; Wei et al. 2017; Sobon 2015).
For example, functional nanomaterials have had an impact on medical devices
such as drug delivery, systems diagnostic biosensors, and imaging probes (Biju
2014; Kumar et al. 2015; Li et al. 2015). The emerging field of nanobiotechnology
holds the potential of revolutionizing biomedical and biology studies by employing
new nanomaterial-based tools for investigative, diagnostic, and therapeutic techniques (Biju 2014; Wang et al. 2017; Nazir et al. 2014). Scientists have made great
efforts in developing various kinds of nanomaterials and nanofabrication techniques
in recent years. Their unique optical, magnetic, and mechanical properties of functional nanomaterials offer new opportunities for investigating complicated biological processes, which are hard to study by traditional strategies, suggesting exciting
avenues in biological and biomedical fields (Barkalina et al. 2014). Nanomaterials
provide almost unlimited combinations of various compositions, sizes, dimensions,
and shapes of materials, which can be tailored to couple different biomolecules
in order to develop nanoprobes with desired properties (Shao et al. 2015; Zhang
et al. 2015b). Nanomaterials also have dramatical improvements in production and
shelf-life in food and cosmetics industries (Ghaderi-Ghahfarokhi et al. 2017; Frewer
et al. 2014). Owing to the large surface area, they are expected to be more biologically active than larger sized particles of the same chemical composition (Wang