This book can be roughly divided into three parts: fundamental physico-chemical and physical
principles of Nanoscience chemistry and synthesis of nanoparticles and techniques to study
nanoparticles. The first chapter is concerned with the origin of the size dependence of the
properties of nanomaterials explaining it in terms of two fundamental nanoscale effects. This
chapter also serves as a general introduction to the book briefly addressing the definition
and classification of nanomaterials and the techniques used to fabricate and study them.
Chapter 2 lays out the theoretical framework within which to understand size effects on the
properties of semiconductor nanocrystals with particular emphasis on the quantum confinement
effect. The optical properties of metal nanoparticles and metal nanostructures (periodic
lattices) are discussed in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 is devoted to nanoporous materials treating in
detail their synthesis structure and functional properties as well as the physical properties
of liquids confined in nanopores. The preparation methods characterization techniques and
applications of supported nanoparticles are covered in Chapter 5. The sixth Chapter presents
the essential physical-chemical concepts needed to understand the preparation of colloidal
inorganic nanoparticles and the remarkable degree of control that has been achieved over their
composition size shape and surface. The last four Chapters are dedicated to a few selected
characterization techniques that are very valuable tools to study nanoparticles. Chapter 7
concentrates on electron microscopy techniques while Chapter 8 focuses on scanning probe
microscopy and spectroscopy. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) based spectroscopic
techniques and their application to nanoparticles are explored in Chapter 9. Finally Chapter
10 shows how solution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopic techniques can be used to
unravel the surface chemistry of colloidal nanoparticles.
