Focus on Nanotechnology Research

Nanotechnology is a 'catch-all' description of activities at the level of atoms and molecules that have applications in the real world. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, about 1/80,000 of the diameter of a human hair, or 10 times the diameter of a hydrogen atom. Nanotechnology is now used in precision engineering, new materials development as well as in electronics; electromechanical systems as well as mainstream biomedical applications in areas such as gene therapy, drug delivery and novel drug discovery techniques. This book presents the latest research in this frontier field. Contents: Preface; Electrospinning: A Novel Method for Metal Oxide Fibres; Nanofocusing Probe Optimisation in a Near-Field Head for an Ultra-High Density Optical Memory; Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Metallic Nanocluster Interfaces; Pre- and Post-Breakdown Conduction of Thin SiO2 Gate Oxides of MOS Devices: A Conductive Atomic Force Microscope Study; Topographic and Electrical Characterisation of Afm-Grown SiO2 on Si; Solvothermal Route used to Synthesize BN Nanocrystals and the Catalytic Effect of BN Nanocrystals; Covalently Attached Multilayer Self-Assembly Films and Micropatterns Comprising Metal