Nanomaterials

Abstract

Nanomaterials are composed of structures that can be produced in a controlled manner in a size ranging from 1-100 nm in one, two or three dimensions. One nanometre is a billionth of a metre (10-9 m), or about 50,000 times smaller than the diameter of one human hair. Nanomaterials are nanostructured variants of conventional materials (e. g. metal and metal oxide powder) or new material classes like carbon nanotubes. They are applied as additives in material composites or for the functionalisation of surfaces. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.