Introduction to Smart and Sustainable Nanomaterials

The application of nanomaterials dates back to ninth century by the artisans in Mesopotamia, although the term nanotechnology was coined only in 1981 by the Japanese scientist Taniguchi. Since then, nanotechnology and nanomaterials have catalyzed the development of science and technology during the twenty-first century where the properties of these materials are well studied and optimized. Electron and X-ray dependent spectroscopy enabled the visualization of minute surfaces to elucidate their physical and chemical properties. The size of nanomaterials typically ranges from 1 to 100 nm rendering a high surface area to volume ratio spanning across 0–3 dimensions. This high surface area to volume ratio provides the quantum confinement of electrons for excellent catalytic, optical, and electronic applications. These enhanced properties enable their interactions with biological matter at the atomic level. The flexibility in tuning the size and properties of a nanomaterial has found promising applications in healthcare and diagnostics where they are widely being studied for targeted therapy, biosensing, and point-of-care devices. This chapter provides a timeline of nanomaterial application; probes into the physical, chemical, and optoelectronic properties of nanomaterials; and approaches to tuning each property for sensing, catalytic, biocompatibility, and toxicity masking for the biomedical and diagnostic applications primarily in the healthcare sector.