By Tadaaki Tani
Oxford University Press
This book gives a comprehensive review of the synthesis, optical properties and applications of silver nanoparticles and nanomaterials.
Today, nanoscience, which is the study of extremely small things, plays a fundamental role in technology, and is connected to many scientific fields: physics, chemistry, biology, material science and engineering. Nanoparticles are of great scientific interest because they provide a bridge between bulk materials and atomic or molecular structures. We know that bulk material normally has constant physical properties regardless of its size, whereas size-dependent properties are often observed at the nanoscale.
Researchers are interested in nanoparticles of noble metals, including silver (Ag), because they show high potential for possible future plasmonic devices. On the other hand, nanoparticles of silver and silver halides (AgX) have been extensively studied in silver-halide photography.
The author offers an overview of both the properties of silver nanoparticles and related materials, and know-how in AgX photography. The first part (chapters 1–3) introduces the structure and preparation of nanoparticles of Ag and other noble metals for plasmonics, as well as those of Ag and AgX nanoparticles in photography. Then, in chapter 4, the relevant properties and performance of nanoparticles of Ag and related materials are presented, focusing in particular on light absorption and scattering. In the third part (chapters 5–7), the author discusses the applications of this research in catalysis, photovoltaic effects and plasmonics. New ideas in the field are also presented at the end.
Full of pictures and references, this text represents a synthesis of up-to-date knowledge in the field.
