A: Fill up the blanks

1. Red Blood Cells are 6-10 microns in the diameter.

2. Nanoscale objects can be seen from certain kind of electron microscope which are of
high resolution such as scanning electron microscope, transmission electron
microscope,etc.
3. A sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick.
4. Some of Self Cleaning materials are based on the lotus leaf effect.
5. Bulk gold is yellow colored while nano gold is red colored.
6. Going from micro to nano, the magnetism of materials becomes stronger.
7. Buckministerfullerene molecule consist of 60 carbon atoms in sp2 hybridized bonds.
8. The three forms of carbon are diamond, graphite and buckminsterfullerene.
9. Carbon nanotubes are tubes of graphite sheets with nano sized diameter.
10. Three possible structures of carbon nanotube are single-walled nanotubes, multiwalled nanotubes, nanotorus.
11. Based on their electronic properties,armchair nanotubes are always metallic while
zig-zag nanotubes are metallic when n is a multiple of 3.
12. The various CNT synthesis methods are arc-discharge method, laser ablation
method and chemical vapor deposition.
13. In CoMo Cat process of CNT synthesis, the temperature range is 700-9500C.
14. Cobalt acts as the active species in the activation of CO.
15. The two types of growth mechanisms are (1)the nanotube grows upwards from the
metal particles that remain attached to the substrate(extrusion or base growth method)
(2)particles detach and move at the head of the growing nanotube(tip growth)
16. The various carbon sources used for CNT synthesis are carbon monoxide,
methane, ethylene, acetylene, ethanol, methanol, benzene.
17. The oxygen content of the feedstock may have an effect on growth quality and
yield.

18. The commonly used catalysts used in CNT synthesis is Fe, Co and bimetallic or
trimetallic mixtures of Fe,Co or Ni with elements such as Y, Mo Ru and Pt.
19. Mainly used electron microscopes for characterization of nanomaterials are
Scanning Electron Microscope, Transmission Electron Microscope, Atomic Force
Microscope, Scanning Tunneling Microscope.
20. Transmission Electron Microscope is used to study the mechanical properties of
CNT.

B. Subjective Type
1.What is Nanotechnology?Explain with examples.
Ans: The design, characterization, production and application of structures, devices,
and systems by controlled manipulation of size and shape at the nanometer scale that
produces structures, devices and systems with atleast one novel or superior
characteristic or property is Nanotechnology. At this scale, structures and components
of a system exhibit novel and significantly improved physical,chemical and biological
properties. Nanoscience is the study and manipulation of structures and components of
a system at nanometer scale ranges between 1-100nm. Nanotechnology has been part
of the nature for ever. For example, we can consider the Lotus Leaf Effect
Lotus Leaf Effect:
Drops of water on a lotus leaf take on an unearthly sparkle and rainwater washes off dirt
from that leaf more readily than from the leaves of any other plant. This effect is due to
high repulsion exhibited by the leaves of the lotus flower. Dirt particles are picked up by
the water droplets due to complex micro and nanoscopic architectural features of the
surface which enables minimization adhesion. Nanoscopic bumps on a lotus leaf
transform its waxy surface into an extremely water repellent material. Raindrops roll
easily across such a surface, removing any accumulated dirt.
Researchers have developed synthetic self-cleaning materials, some of which are
based on this lotus-leaf effect. We will soon be wearing clothes of nanofabric which
cleans all its dirt itself.
Self-cleaning glass:
Nanoparticles of titanium oxide is applied for self-cleaning of glass. Glass is coated with
a 15nm thick transparent layer of nanoparticles of titanium oxide(TiO 2). When dust
settles on the glass, the reaction of the Ultraviolet component of sunlight with the
coating of nanocrystalline titanium oxide on the glass causes a reaction that breaks

down organic dirt. The coating then attracts moisture from the atmosphere, forming
strongly oxidized free radicals, which cleans the glass surface.
Medical nanorobot:
Nanorobotics is the technology of creating machines or robots at the nanometer scale.
One of the objectives of Nanorobotics would be the rapid elimination of diseases and
quick, painless recovery from physical trauma. Medical nanorobots might also make
possible the correction of genetic defects, and help us to live much longer, healthier
lives. A nanorobot swims through the arteries and veins using a pair of tails. It travels to
the appropriate system and provides a dose of medication directly to the infected area.
Quantum Dot:
Quantum dots are tiny nanocrystalline structures of semiconductor material with optical
properties. These are small dots of a few hundred to a thousand atoms, which emit
different wavelengths of light depending on size of the dot. These properties may be
used in detecting the tumor type and stages of cancer.
Application in defence:
A nanobattlesuit is being developed that could be as thin as spandex and contain
health monitors and communications equipment. Nanomaterials can also provide
strength that far surpasses currently available materials, providing bullet shielding thats
much more effective. These jumpsuit style outfits might even be able to react to and
stop biological and chemical attacks. This protection and these devices would be
integrated into one suit that would be more efficient and lightweight than current packs.

3. Write a short note on how properties changes at nanoscale.

Ans:Nanoscience is the study and manipulation of structures and components of a
system at nanometer scale ranges between 1-100nm. At this scale, structures and
components of a system exhibit novel and significantly improved physical, chemical and
biological properties. Drops of water on a lotus leaf take on an unearthly sparkle and
rainwater washes off dirt from that leaf more readily than from the leaves of any other
plant. This effect is due to high repulsion exhibited by the leaves of the lotus flower. Dirt
particles are picked up by the water droplets due to complex micro and nanoscopic
architectural features of the surface which enables minimization adhesion. Nanoscopic
bumps on a lotus leaf transform its waxy surface into an extremely water repellent

material. Raindrops roll easily across such a surface, removing any accumulated dirt.
This is the Lotus Leaf Effect.
Optical properties:
Bulk gold is yellow in colour whereas nano gold is red in colour. The yellow colour of
bulk gold is due to sloshing about of its electron. Metals have a shine and conduct
electricity due to a cloud of free electrons on the surface of metals, which carry current
from one part of the metal to another. The electron cloud on the surface also absorbs
photons without allowing them to get through. Some photons are reflected, resulting in a
shine on the surface of the metal. Other photons are absorbed by the electron plasma,
resulting in the formation of plasmons. These electron slosh about particularly well at a
particular frequency. All incident photons at or above this frequency are absorbed and
this phenomenon is called surface Plasmon resonance. Lower frequency light waves
are reflected. Smaller the particle, the higher is its range of absorption of light. As gold
particles are made smaller and smaller, their Plasmon resonance frequency will become
higher, resulting in the range of light that can be absorbed by the gold particles
becoming larger. At macro level, gold absorbs the blue-green spectrum to be reflected,
giving gold its characteristic yellow colour. As gold size reaches nanoscale, capacity to
absorb yellow light also increases, giving gold nanoparticles a red colour.
Magnetic properties:
At nanoscale, forces in the nucleus become far stronger than at macro scale. The inter
and intra-atomic magnetic forces become exponentially stronger at nano-level. The
magnetism of a material increases per unit area with a decrease in the size of the
material. Magnetic nanoparticles can be sent into the bloodstream of a person
contaminated with bio-toxins, to bind with the particles of the toxin. Then by utilizing a
magnetic field gradient, the magnetic-toxin particle can be extracted from the body.
Chemical properties:
Nanoparticles of titanium oxide is applied for self-cleaning of glass. Glass is coated with
a 15nm thick transparent layer of nanoparticles of titanium oxide(TiO 2). When dust
settles on the glass, the reaction of the Ultraviolet component of sunlight with the
coating of nanocrystalline titanium oxide on the glass causes a reaction that breaks
down organic dirt. The coating then attracts moisture from the atmosphere, forming
strongly oxidized free radicals, which cleans the glass surface.
Thermal properties:

The thermal conductivity of a nanofluid is much greater than that of the base fluid.
Nanoparticles have very high aspect ratio(surface area to volume ratio). This increase in
surface area of the particles is responsible for higher thermal conductivity in nanofluids.

4. Write a short note on various characterization tools.

Ans: Characterisation is the study and classification of nanomaterials, and falls into the
realm of nanoscience. Characterisation is accomplished by instrumentation.
Nanoparticles can be seen only through high resolution electron microscopy such as
Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy(TEM), Atomic
Force Microscope(AFM), Scanning Tunneling Microscope(STM).
Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM):
Scanning Electron Microscope images the sample surface by scanning it with a highenergy beam of electrons in a raster scan pattern. Raster scan pattern is a systematic
process of covering the area progressively, one line at a time by bombarding it with a
stream of electrons. This technique is used in forming images on television screens.
The electrons interact with the atoms that make up the sample producing signals that
contain information about the samples surface topography, composition and other
properties such as electrical conductivity. The scanning electron microscope has many
advantages over traditional microscopes. The SEM has a large depth of field, which
allows more of a specimen to be in focus at one time. The SEM also has much higher
resolution, so closely spaced specimens can be magnified at much higher levels.
Because the SEM uses electromagnets rather than lenses, the researcher has much
more control in the degree of magnification.
Transmission Electron Microscope(TEM):
In Transmission Electron Microscope, a beam of electrons is transmitted through an
ultra thin specimen. If the electron gets through, sample is not very dense in that area. If
beam is blocked, sample is densed at that point. By collecting electron beams onto a
screen positioned at the other side of the sample, an image is formed, giving the exact
composition of the sample. The image is magnified and focused onto an imaging
device.

Atomic Force Microscope(AFM):

In Atomic Force Microscope, information is gathered by feeling the surface with a
mechanical probe. A nano-sized tip feels the bumps and troughs on the surface
material. Piezoelectric elements that facilitate tiny but accurate and precise movements
on electronic command enable the very precise scanning. AFM can also measure the
inter-atomic forces using a nano-Newton scale. In the biomedical field AFM is used to
visualize single biomolecules, live/fixed cells or tissues at nanoscale resolution without
drying/coating them.
Scanning Tunneling Microscope(STM):
Scanning Tunneling Microscope generates 3-D images of substances that conduct
electricity. In STM, the structure of a surface is studied using a stylus that scans the
surface at a fixed distance from it. A stylus is a narrow elongated staff, similar to a
modern ball point pen. Stylus generates a very tiny current, called tunneling current that
varies depending upon the distance of the tip from the surface material. Stylus is
mounted on a piezoelectric tube that is controlled by voltage to expand and contract the
tube to keep tunneling current constant. If the stylus goes into a trough in surface
material, current generated weakens because of extra distance. Hence, external voltage
is applied to the tube to expand it to bring stylus close to material surface and keep the
tunneling current constant. The movement of the tube is closely monitored and used to
generate a 3-D image of the conducting material.

5. What are the various production techniques? Describe in detail.

Ans:Nanoproducts are manufactured by top-down and bottom-up techniques. In topdown technique, particles of bigger size keep on disintegrating till they reach the
nanoscale. In bottom-up technique, particles even smaller than nanoparticles unite to
form nano-sized particles. Colloid is a type of chemical mixture where one substance is
dispersed evenly throughout another such that the size of the particles is 1nm-1m. For
example-milk-colloid of liquid butterfat globules dispersed within a water based fluid. In
a colloid, particles donot separate out from the liquid. A suspension is a fluid containing
unevenly dispersed solid particles. Example-flour mixed in water. The particles from a

suspension settle out after sometime. A colloidal suspension of very small particles(11000nm) in a liquid is a sol. e.g.-blood. If the suspension is left for sometime, the
particles settle out. A solid, jelly-like material which is a liquid but behaves like solids
due to a 3-D cross-linked network of molecules within the liquid is a gel. The cross-links
give gel firmness and stickiness.
The various production techniques are:

Sol Gel Technique:

It is a wet chemical technique used for fabrication of materials by dispersing colloidal
particles in a liquid to form a sol. The colloidal particles in sol is polymerized by
removing the stabilizing components and producing a gel containing a continuous
network. The excess fluid is evaporated out of the gel. The gel is heated to make
ceramic materials.
Chemical Vapor Deposition Method:
It involves chemical reactionswhich precipitate gaseous molecules into a thin film or
powder on the surface of a substrate.The films are only few nanometers thick.
Evaporation Technique:
In this technique, instead of chemical reactions, heat is applied to certain materials
which get converted into vapours. The vapors are deposited on a substrate(glass slide)
to get a thin film of that material. This process works inside a vacuum chamber which
prevents contamination of the vapour formation and deposition process.
Nanolithography or Dip Pen Nanolithography(DPN):
Lithography is the process of etching onto stone or metal. In industries, lithography is
used to etch paths on circuit boards which are later filledwith copper or conducting
material to form circuits. Nanolithography is the fabrication of nanometer scale
structures whose one lateral dimension lies between 1-100 nm. It is used during
fabrication of very densely packed integrated circuits. These ICs consist of billions of
transistors per square inch. In Dip Pen Lithography, Atomic Force Microscope tip is
used to transfer molecules to a surface. It allows surface patterning on scales of under
100nm. The Atomic Force Microscope tip acts as a pen, which is coated with a chemical
compound or mixture acting as an ink, put in contact with substrate. When it is used to
create nano-sized Printed Circuit Boards(PCBs), the chemical compound is normally a

solvent that dissolves away parts of a silica substrate to form the paths into which a
conducting material can later be filled.
Ball Milling:
It is a top down technique. Macro-sized particles under the action of attrition and
compression are reduced to nanometer scale particles.
Self Assembly Technique:
It is a bottom up technique. Materials of size even smaller than that of nanoscale
combine to form nano-sized materials.

7. Describe in detail the various structures of Carbon Nanotubes

Ans: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are allotropes of carbon with a cylindrical nanostructure.
These cylindrical carbon molecules have unusual properties, which are valuable for
nanotechnology, electronics, optics and other fields of materials science and
technology. In particular, owing to their extraordinary thermal conductivity and
mechanical and electrical properties, carbon nanotubes find applications as additives to
various structural materials.
Nanotubes are members of the fullerene structural family. Their name is derived from
their size, since the diameter of a nanotube is of the orders of a few nanometers while
they can be upto several millimeters in length. The chemical bonding of nanotubes is
composed entirely of sp2 bonds, similar to those of graphite. Nanotubes naturally align
themselves into ropes held together by Van der Waal forces. Under high pressure,
nanotubes can merge together, trading some sp 2 bonds, giving the possibility of
producing strong, unlimited-length wires through high pressure nanotube linking.
Nanotubes are categorized as:

Single walled-nanotubes(SWNTs)
Multi-walled nanotubes(MWNTs)

Single walled-nanotubes(SWNTs):
It is conceptualized by wrapping a one-atom-thick layer of graphite called
graphene into a seamless cylinder. Most SWNTs have a diameter of close to 1
nm, with a tube length that can be many millions of times longer(limitation
possessed by synthesis method). There are ways to roll a grapheme into a
single-wall nanotube, some of the resulting nanotubes enabling symmetry mirrors

both parallel and perpendicular to the nanotube axis. The way the grapheme
sheet is wrapped is represented by a pair of indices (n,m) called the chiral vector.
The integers n and m denote the number of unit vectors along two directions in
the honeycomb crystal lattice of grapheme. If m=0, it is known as zig-zag
nanotube, which is named for the pattern of hexagons as we move on
circumference of the tube. If n=m, it is known as armchair nanotube. If value of
m lies between zig-zag and armchair, then it is known as chiral. Chiral means
handedness and it indicates that the tubes may twist in either direction. SWNTs
are very expensive. Hence, cheaper means of synthesis are required.
Multi-walled nanotubes:
Multi-walled nanotubes consist of multiple rolled layers(concentric tubes) of
graphite. There are two models which can be used to describe the structures of
multi-walled nanotubes. In the Russian Doll model, sheets of graphite are
arranged in concentric cylinders, e.g. a (0, 8) single-walled nanotube (SWNT)
within a larger (0,10) single-walled nanotube. In the Parchment model, a single
sheet of graphite is rolled in around itself, resembling a scroll of parchment or a
rolled newspaper. The interlayer distance in multi-walled nanotubes is close to
the distance between graphene layers in graphite. Such nanotubes are generally
formed either by the electric-arc technique(without any catalyst) or by catalystenhanced thermal cracking of gaseous hydrocarbons or CO disproportionation.
In Herringbone MWNTs(h-MWNTs), graphenes make an angle with respect to the
nanotube axis. The special place of double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNT)
must be emphasized here because their morphology and properties are similar to
SWNT but their resistance to chemicals is significantly improved. This is
especially important when functionalization is required (this means grafting of
chemical functions at the surface of the nanotubes) to add new properties to the
CNT. In the case of SWNT, covalent functionalization will break some C=C
double bonds, leaving "holes" in the structure on the nanotube and thus
modifying both its mechanical and electrical properties. In the case of DWNT,
only the outer wall is modified.

Submitted by: Ronika Goswami