Seminar and Technical Writing, Autumn Semester, July-November, 2016

Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, St. Ann's College of Engineering and Technology, Chirala 523187,
Andhra Pradesh, India

MICRO AND NANO MATERIALS

N. Jeevan Sai , M.V.Nagaraju , N.Anil Sai, M.Achyuth kumar
13F01A0352, 13F01A0348,13F01A0355 And 13F01A0342

Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, St. Ann's College of Engineering and Technology,

Chirala 523187, Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract
Micro and Nanowires are considered as building
blocks for the next generation of electronics, photonics, sensors
and energy applications. One-dimensional nanostructures offer
unique opportunities to control the density of states of
semiconductors, and in turn their electronic and optical
properties. Nanowires allow the growth of axial heterostructures
without the constraints of lattice mismatch. This provides
flexibility to create heterostructures of a broad range of materials
and allows integration of compound semiconductor based
optoelectronic devices with silicon based microelectronics.
Nanowires are widely studied and the number of
papers published in the field is growing exponentially with time.
Already nanowire lasers, nanowire transistors, nanowire light
emitting diodes, nanowire sensors and nanowire solar cells have
been demonstrated.
Keywords: Colloid, Hetero structures, Nano wires

Seminar and Technical Writing, Autumn Semester, July-November, 2016

Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, St. Ann's College of Engineering and Technology, Chirala 523187,
Andhra Pradesh, India

1.

Introduction

Nanomaterials are cornerstones of Nanoscience and

nanotechnology. Nanostructure science and technology is a broad and
interdisciplinary area of research and development activity that has
been growing explosively worldwide in the past few years. It has the
potential for revolutionizing the ways in which materials and products
are created and the range and nature of functionalities that can be
accessed. It is already having a significant commercial impact, which
will
assuredly
increase
in
the
future..

FIG.1 Evolution of science and technology and the future

1.1. What are Nanomaterials?
Nanoscale materials are defined as a set of substances
where at least one dimension is less than approximately 100
nanometers. A nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter approximately
100,000
times
smaller than
the

Seminar and Technical Writing, Autumn Semester, July-November, 2016

Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, St. Ann's College of Engineering and Technology, Chirala 523187,
Andhra Pradesh, India

Fig. 2. Nanomaterial (For example: Carbon nanotube)

diameter of a human hair. Nanomaterials are of interest because at
this scale unique optical, magnetic, electrical, and other properties
emerge. These emergent properties have the potential for great
impacts in electronics, medicine, and other fields.
1.2. Where are Nanomaterials found?
Some Nanomaterials occur naturally, but of particular
interest are engineered nanomaterials (EN), which are designed for,
and already being used in many commercial products and processes.
They can be found in such things as sunscreens, cosmetics, sporting
goods, stain-resistant clothing, tires, electronics, as well as many other
everyday items, and are used in medicine for purposes of diagnosis,
imaging and drug delivery.
Engineered nanomaterials are resources designed at the
molecular (nanometre) level to take advantage of their small size and
novel properties which are generally not seen in their conventional,
bulk counterparts. The two main reasons why materials at the nano
scale can have different properties are increased relative surface area
and new quantum effects. Nanomaterials have a much greater surface
area to volume ratio than their conventional forms, which can lead to
greater chemical reactivity and affect their strength. Also at the nano
scale, quantum effects can become much more important in
determining the materials properties and characteristics, leading to
novel optical, electrical and magnetic behaviours.
Nanomaterials are already in commercial use, with some
having been available for several years or decades. The range of
commercial products available today is very broad, including stainresistant and wrinkle-free textiles, cosmetics, sunscreens, electronics,
paints and varnishes. Nanocoatings and Nanocomposites are finding
uses in diverse consumer products, such as windows, sports
equipment, bicycles and automobiles. There are novel UV-blocking
coatings on glass bottles which protect beverages from damage by
sunlight, and longer-lasting tennis balls using butylrubber/ nano-clay
composites. Nanoscale titanium dioxide, for instance, is finding
applications in cosmetics, sun-block creams and self cleaning windows,
and nanoscale silica is being used as filler in a range of products,
including cosmetics and dental fillings.
2.Classification of Nanomaterials:

Seminar and Technical Writing, Autumn Semester, July-November, 2016

Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, St. Ann's College of Engineering and Technology, Chirala 523187,
Andhra Pradesh, India

Nanomaterials have extremely small size which

having at least one dimension 100 nm or less. Nanomaterials can be
nanoscale in one dimension (eg. surface films), two dimensions (eg.
strands or fibres), or three dimensions (eg. particles). They can exist in
single, fused, aggregated or agglomerated forms with spherical,
tubular, and irregular shapes. Common types of nanomaterials include
nanotubes,
dendrimers,
quantum
dots
and
fullerenes.
Nanomaterials have applications in the field of nano technology, and
displays different physical chemical characteristics from normal
chemicals (i.e., silver nano, carbon nanotube, fullerene, photocatalyst,
carbon nano, silica).
According to Siegel, Nanostructured materials are classified as Zero
dimensional, one dimensional, two dimensional, three dimensional
nanostructures.

Fig. 3.
Classification of Nanomaterials (a) 0D spheres and clusters, (b) 1D
nanofibers, Nano wires, and rods, (c) 2D films, plates, and networks, (d) 3D
nanomaterials.

Nanomaterials are the materials having components with size less

than 100 nm at least in one dimension.
Nanomaterials, in one dimension, are layers such as a thin
films
or surface coatings.
Nanomaterials, in two dimension, are tubes such as nanotubes and
nanowires.
Nanomaterials,
in
three
dimension,
are
particles
like
precipitates,colloids and quantum dots
Nanomaterials are materials which are characterized
by an ultra fine grain size (< 50 nm) or by a dimensionality limited to
50 nm. Nanomaterials can be created with various modulation
dimensionalities as defined by Richard W. Siegel: zero (atomic clusters,
filaments and cluster assemblies), one (multilayers), two (ultrafinegrained overlayers or buried layers), and three (nanophase materials
consisting of equiaxed nanometer sized grains) as shown in the above
figure 3.
What are nanowires?

Nanowires are microscopic wires that have a

width measured in nanometers. Typically their width ranges from forty
to fifty nanometers, but their length is not so limited. Since they can

Seminar and Technical Writing, Autumn Semester, July-November, 2016

Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, St. Ann's College of Engineering and Technology, Chirala 523187,
Andhra Pradesh, India

be lengthened by simply attaching more wires end to end or just by

growing them longer, they can be as long as desired.
How are nanowires made?
There are varying methods used to create
nanowires.The most common involve either growing them or using
DNA as a template. For the latter method, a solution containing the
desired metal is mixed with DNA and then exposed to UV light. When
exposed, the metal in the mixture bonds to the DNA and forms a
microscopic wire, a nanowire. Its width is dependent upon how
concentrated the solution of the metal is. The more concentrated the
metal solution, the wider the nanowire; likewise, the less
concentrated, the thinner the wire will be.
Alternative Method?
The alternative method, growing the nanowire, uses drops of
gold in precise locations on a sapphire wafer. At high temperatures
the gold beads up in droplets only a few nanometers large. These
droplets act as points on which zinc oxide can form crystals. The
crystals grow from there and take the shape of a wire. With this
method it is possible to control the direction in which the nanowire
forms as well as its shape. This would make it easier to make a
component such as a tiny circuit from nanowires by growing them in
place instead of trying to position them in precise locations later.
What good are nanowires?
Some uses of nanowires include:
Data storage/transfer - transfer data up to 1,000 times faster,
and store data
for as long as 100,000 years without
degradation
Batteries/generators - tiny, efficient solar panels, turning light
into energy, able to hold 10 times the charge of existing
batteries
Transistors
LEDs
Optoelectronic devices
Biochemical sensors
Heat-pumping Thermoelectric devices

Striped Nanowires?
Striped nanowires are capable of performing more
than one task along the same wire. They are striped with different
materials that posses different properties, an attribute which allows
different operations to be performed at the same time. This also
enables devices to be more compacted because fewer wires are
needed each nanowire is serving multiple functions.
What uses are nanowires being developed for?

Seminar and Technical Writing, Autumn Semester, July-November, 2016

Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, St. Ann's College of Engineering and Technology, Chirala 523187,
Andhra Pradesh, India

IBM has been doing research on forming U-shaped

nanowires to create a racetrack memory. This method would
allow IBM to create a memory system with no moving parts and far
greater storage than flash memory. This U-shape is formed with
closely arranged nanowires, allowing fast transmissions and increasing
storage size without adding to the overall size of the device.
Nanowires are also being developed for prototype
sensors. These sensors will be used on gases and biological
molecules. They will be used to detect harmful agents by scanning
each gas or chemical on a molecular level. This is possible due to how
small these wires can be. They will be made out of materials that react
to harmful agents, thus alerting to the presence of harmful agents.
For Star Trek fans, this would be a very similar device to the TriCorder.
Why Are Nanowires Not Being Implemented?
Nanowires are not being heavily manufactured because they are still in the
development stage and are only produced in the laboratory. Until production has been
streamlined, made easier and faster, they will not be heavily manufactured for commercial
purposes. Furthermore, though they are 4 or 5 times more effective than current
technology, an industry-wide technology overhaul is not cost effective at the moment.
Challenges:
The insufficient control of the properties of individual building blocks
Low device-to-device reproducibility
Lack of reliable methods for assembling and integrating building blocks into circuits

Advances:
Synthesis of nanoscale building blocks with precisely controlled chemical
composition, physical dimension, and electronic, optical properties
Some strategies for the assembly of building blocks into increasingly complex
structures
New nanodevice concepts that can be implemented in high yield by assembly
approaches

Acknowledgement
Careful consideration and obeying of these guidelines is gratefully acknowledged by
the funding agency.

References

Seminar and Technical Writing, Autumn Semester, July-November, 2016

Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, St. Ann's College of Engineering and Technology, Chirala 523187,
Andhra Pradesh, India

Papers, books, conference proceedings etc are to be arranged serially as per the sequence
they appear in the text i.e. as per their sl no mentioned in the text. Dont write subheadings like journal papers, books etc. The followings are only a guideline for writing the
references.
:
1. Lu, G., Kaxiras, E.: Overview of multiscale simulations of materials. Handb. Theor.
Comput.
Nanotechnol. 10, 133 (2005)
2. Herbeck, L., Kleineberg, M.: Single line injectiona successful liquid resin infusion
technology for commercial aircraft applications. In: International symposium on composite
manufacturing for aircraft structures, Flevoland, Netherlands (2002)
3. Arlt, C.: Wirkungsweisen nanoskaliger Bhmite in einem Polymer und seinem
Kohlenstofffaserverbund
unter Druckbelastung. Dissertation, Otto von Guericke Universitt Magdeburg
(2011)