Recent Advancements in Multidimensional Applications of Nanotechnology

An electron microscope is a highly advanced sophisticated tool where high energy electron beam is used as the source. Since an electron beam has a shorter wavelength than visible light photons, it may expose the structure of tiny objects and has a higher resolving power than a light microscope. While most light microscopes are constrained by diffraction to around 500 nm resolution and usable magnifications below 2000, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) may attain 5 nm resolution and magnifications up to roughly 10,000,000. Electromagnetic lenses, which are similar to the glass lenses of an optical light microscope, are used in electron microscopes to create electron optical lens systems. Large molecules, biopsy samples, metals, crystals, and other biological and inorganic specimens, among others, can all have their ultrafine structure studied using electron microscopes. Electron microscopes are frequently used in industry for failure analysis and quality control. The images are captured using specialised digital cameras and frame grabbers by modern electron microscopes to create electron micrographs. To create an appropriate sample from materials for an electron microscope, processing may be necessary. Depending on the material and the desired analysis, a different procedure is needed. Transmission electron microscopes (TEM), scanning electron microscopes (SEM), reflection electron microscopes (REM), scanning tunnelling microscopes (STM), and other types of electron microscopes are commonly employed in academic and research institutions. The initial and operating costs of electron microscopes are higher and they are also more expensive to construct and maintain. High-resolution electron microscopes need to be kept in sturdy structures (often underground) with specialised amenities like magnetic field cancelling devices.

The demand of energy highlight the need to explore new energy resources with less emissions without depleting the environment. With this perspective, novel perovskite lead-free materials are taking over the conventional energy systems of fossil fuels that produce carbon in the environment. It has been years of struggle that scientists are working on materials for more energy with less waste materials. The challenge was readily accepted by perovskite nanomaterials that can generate energy, store it, and use it when required. The development of these nanomaterials with their promising properties such as dielectric coefficient, superconductivity, and sustainability at high temperatures, withstand high mechanical properties and can be coated, pasted, or in the form of thin and thick films. This can be done by the solidstate reaction (SSR) mixing the metallic oxides in a fixed ratio in ball milling by wet or dry method. The composites prepared were calcined, pressed, and sintered at high temperatures. Following the characterization to check the properties make them superior for high-energy advanced applications. The perovskite nanomaterials’ composites can be utilized perfectly for hydrogen generation and production, photocatalysis reactions, photovoltaic solar cells, solid oxide fuel cells, electrolysis, supercapacitors, sensors, actuators, structural health monitoring applications and metal-air batteries. This chapter covers the application-based synthesis, characterizations, and properties of the perovskite nanomaterials for high-energy applications.

This chapter presents an in-depth analysis of Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) and their emerging role in the oil and gas industry. Over the past five years, nanomaterial technology, especially CuONPs, has attracted significant attention due to its diverse applications in fields like petroleum. In the context of the oil and gas industry, CuONPs have been revolutionary, particularly in enhancing oil recovery (EOR) and as innovative drilling fluids. Their application leads to more efficient extraction and reduced viscosity of trapped oil. The synthesis of CuONPs has evolved, with biological methods standing out for their cost-effectiveness, safety, and environmental friendliness. These green synthesis methods have redefined industry standards by offering a sustainable alternative to traditional physical and chemical approaches. The chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the practical applications of CuONPs in the oil and gas sector, emphasizing their production through green routes. It also addresses the challenges and prospects of CuONPs, setting a foundation for further research and technological advancements in this field.

Corrosion of metallic materials poses a serious threat to the efficiency of the manufacturing and construction industries. To overcome this, various surface modification techniques are employed. But, surface protection by nano-coating is gaining great potential owing to its numerous benefits. These include surface hardness, high-resistance against hot corrosion, high wear resistance, and adhesive strength. Additionally, nano-coatings can be deposited in thinner and smoother thicknesses, allowing for increased efficiency, more flexible equipment design, smaller carbon footprints, and lower operating and maintenance costs. Hence, the aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the corrosion performance of ceramic, metallic, and nanocomposite coatings on the surface of the metallic substrate. In addition, the role of nanocoating to combat corrosion of metallic substrate is explored. Finally, the diverse applications of nano-coating in different fields including aircraft, automobile, marine, defense, electronic, and medical industries are discussed. 

Addressing the global population's dietary needs is crucial amid crop damage issues like insect infestations and adverse weather affecting one-third of conventionally farmed crops. Nanotechnology, recognized for its efficacy and environmental benefits, has gained attention in the past decade. While it has transformed medicine, its applications in agriculture are underexplored. Current research investigates the use of nanomaterials in agriculture for targeted delivery of genes, insecticides, fertilizers, and growth regulators. Nanotechnology shows promise in mitigating abiotic stress in plants by mimicking antioxidative enzymes. This chapter assesses nanoparticles' roles in plant research, highlighting their effectiveness as growth regulators, nanopesticides, nanofertilizers, antimicrobial agents, and targeted transporters. Understanding plant-nanomaterial interactions opens new avenues for enhancing agricultural practices, improving disease resistance, and crop productivity, and optimizing fertilizer use.

The aim of this research can be divided into two stages. The first stage is to synthesize and find a simple and less expensive method to produce titanium dioxide nanostructures with optimum properties that can be used in the construction of lowcost, nanoparticle-based solar cells as a replacement for custom silicon solar cells. The second stage is to determine the effect of natural dyes on the performance and efficiency of TiO2 nano-structure dye synthesized solar cells (TiO2 DSSC) via spin coating. In order to improve and enhance the performance and efficiency of dye solar cells, thin film TiO2 nanostructure was synthesized using the sol-gel process, which is simple and inexpensive. Afterward, different natural dies were introduced in the fabrication process over the TiO2 layer also via spin coating. The function of the dye is to confine a sufficient amount of light, for optimum performance and power conversion efficiency. In the last fabrication step, graphite contacts were evaporated on the top dye layer. The I-V characteristics of the different dyes were studied and the structural properties of the TiO2 nanostructures were investigated through an X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern. The TiO2 nanoparticles’ morphology and particle size were determined by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), while the optical band gap energy was found by employing UV-VIS-NIR diffuse absorption spectroscopy. Three types of natural dye were used which were Roselle, curcumin, and black tea and their conversion efficiencies were 8.46, 6.94, and 6.33 respectively, which is considered acceptable compared to the results obtained by other researchers.

This research investigates the consistency of chemical bath deposition (CBD) for CdTe thin films. Films were deposited using tellurium dioxide and cadmium acetate in a non-aqueous medium at 160°C. The impact of subsequent annealing on the optical, structural, and surface properties of these films was examined. XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis, SEM, and photoluminescence techniques were used to characterize the films. EDS analysis revealed a Cd:Te ratio of 1.27 before annealing, which improved to 1.06 (closer to the ideal 1:1 ratio) after annealing. The average crystallite size of annealed CdTe film was around 25nm. Photoluminescence peaks were observed at 566 nm and 615 nm.

Metallic nanoparticles like gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 ), and cysteine-capped silver nanoparticles (Cyanopes) are changing the face of green nanotechnology. Their photonic capabilities, ultrafine size ( 10-100 nanometers), biocompatibility, diamagnetic strength, antibacterial activity, and photochemical qualities make them extremely useful in medical applications, radiotherapies, drug delivery, cosmetics, and solar cell coatings. This chapter provides a comprehensive outlook on the applications, biomedical necessities, and green future of metallic nanoparticles. The current discussion revolves around graphene-based nanofillers, focusing on their ability to enhance the tribological properties of aluminum and its alloys within the realm of materials research. Thin metallic tin sulfide nanoparticles and titanium oxide nanorods, on the other hand, play an important role in photochemical water splitting. Modern nanotechnology is advancing biological processes by allowing for a thorough examination of metallic nanoparticle forms as highlighted in the chapter. A notable application incorporates a nanoscale metallic lattice that facilitates the transfer of cisplatin and siRNA, showing great promise in resensitizing ovarian tumors. This chapter provides an exhaustive analysis of the potentials, benefits, and challenges associated with metallic nanoparticles, emphasizing their extensive applications and crucial role in the advancement of various fields.

Research in the fields of physics, chemistry, and engineering is all facing more important challenges as a result of the rapid development of nanotechnology. The green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles opened the door for improvements and protections to be made to the environment by lowering the amount of harmful chemicals used and avoiding the biological dangers that were present in biomedical applications. Simple, fast, and environmentally friendly, plant-mediated production of metal nanoparticles is rising in popularity. We show an easy and environmentally friendly way to make silver nanoparticles using biomolecules found in an aqueous extract of the leaves of the plant Kalanchoe gastonis-bonnieri. No other chemicalreducing or stabilizing agent is needed in this way. The reaction is carried out in an aqueous solution in a process that is benign to the environment. This chapter examines the anti-oxidant, diabetic, inflammatory, cancer, and cytotoxic properties of silver nanoparticles that were generated utilizing the aqueous extract of the leaves of the plant Kalanchoe gastonis-bonnieri. The results of the investigation are presented and discussed in this chapter. 

Nanoparticles are among the most important tools under investigation due to their application in optical, electrical, biological, sensing, and photocatalytic systems. Nanoparticles made by plants have a larger range of sizes and shapes and are far more stable. Investigators' fascination with producing metal-based nanoparticles, such as those of silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), gold (Au), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and cerium (Ce), has been aroused by the study of biological systems. In a manner analogous to this, microorganisms produce valuable substances like antibiotics, acids, and pigments as well as proteins and bioactive metabolites. The plant-based synthesis uses a variety of extracts, including fruit, leaves, roots, peel, bark, seeds, twigs, stems, shoots, and seedlings. The primary theme of the chapter is the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles mediated by plants. The potential applications of nanoparticles across a variety of fields have altered the research and industries that are briefly discussed in this chapter.

The utilization of chest X-rays could offer valuable assistance in the initial screening of patients before undergoing RT-PCR testing. This potential approach holds promise within hospital environments grappling with the challenge of categorizing patients for either general ward placement or isolation within designated COVID-19 zones. This study investigates the use of chest X-rays as a preliminary screening technique for suspected COVID-19 cases in hospital settings, given the limited testing capacity and probable delays for RT-PCR testing. We assess how well several neural network architectures perform in automated COVID-19 identification in X-rays with the goal of locating a model that has the highest levels of sensitivity, low latency, and accuracy. The results reveal that InceptionV3 exhibits better robustness while MobileNet obtains the maximum accuracy. This strategy may help healthcare organisations better manage patients and allocate resources optimally, especially when radiologists are hard to come by. This will help in choosing an architecture that has better accuracy, sensitivity, and lower latency. The chosen models are pre-trained using the technique of transfer learning to save computation power and time. After the training and testing of the model, we observed that while MobileNet gave the best accuracy among all the models (VGG16, VGG19, MobileNet and InceptionV3), IncpetionV3 was still better when it comes to robustness.

Herbal remedies are gaining popularity as an alternative to allopathic medicine because of how much better they are at curing modern health problems. By facilitating the efficient distribution of medicinal molecules to both targeted and nontargeted regions, nanotherapeutic approaches enhance the pharmacokinetic efficacy of herbal remedies. Active and system-based nanostructures have the potential to utterly transform herbal therapy. Nanomedicine may benefit from third-generation nanotechnology, namely system-based nanostructures, due to their self-healing properties. Research and Market predicts that the pharmaceutical market's use of nanotechnology will increase by 15.3% by 2026. The effectiveness of dual therapy treatment is enhanced by nanotechnology. The creation of cell-penetrating peptides, which allow the transport of drug molecules to the afflicted cells, is made possible by nanotechnology. The rate of medication metabolism is accelerated by nanomaterials. The use of nanotechnology to enhance histidine activity has significant implications for the treatment of cancer and acute genetic disorders. Acute illnesses such as cancer, genetic disorders, neurological disorders, behavioural disorders, cardiovascular disorders, and bone fractures can all benefit from a nanotherapeutic approach to treatment. Nanomedicines' market share is growing at an exponential rate because of their superior therapeutic efficacy. Increased access to Ayurvedic treatment will result from nanotechnology's ability to boost the efficacy of herbal remedies. Waste management is further supported by the use of nanotechnology, which enhances the ability to extract bioactive components from plant-based waste products. Due to the dynamic nature of infectious illnesses, nano vaccines work more effectively than traditional vaccinations. This chapter will describe research on the use of nanotechnology in various ayurvedic practices, which will broaden the use of herbal remedies for the treatment of long-term health problems. Additionally, it will investigate the potential of nanomaterials to enhance the efficacy of herbal remedies, which can aid in the development of novel ayurvedic treatment approaches.