An Overview of Nanomaterials: History, Fundamentals, and Applications

Nanomaterials exhibit the tendency to alter the fundamental properties with the size in the range of nanometers. The fascinating nanomaterials exhibit excellent fundamental properties and possess numerous applications in the fields of science and technology. However, the concept of nanomaterials already existed in prehistoric times unknowingly. Therefore, the present chapter discusses the historical overview, usage, and development of nanomaterials from the prehistoric time to the modern age. The scientific milestones achieved for the development of nanomaterials and nanotechnology have also been covered. Further, the properties at the nanoscale have been discussed in terms of confinement effect and the surface-to-volume ratio. The classification of nanomaterials based on several factors such as origin, composition, and dimensionality are elaborated. This chapter also included the possible synthesis approaches along with their benefits and disadvantages. Moreover, we briefly explore the general overview of nanomaterials for a variety of applications in the fields of energy, medicine, electronics, sensing, defense, etc.