An Idea on Optical Properties of Nanomaterial

Nanomaterials have risen to prominence as an interesting new class of materials with a wide variety of practical uses. The length of a nanometer may be seen by lining up five silicon atoms or ten hydrogen atoms, which equals one nanometer. Nanomaterials are materials with a size or one of their dimensions in the range of 1 to 100 nanometers.

What are Nanomaterials?

Nanostructure science and technology is a vast and multidisciplinary field of study and development that has exploded in popularity over the last few years all over the world. It has the potential to change the way materials and products are made, as well as the types and range of functions that may be accessible. It already has a large commercial influence, which will very certainly grow in the future. The term “nanoscale materials” refers to a group of substances with at least one dimension of fewer than 100 nanometers. One-millionth of a millimeter is a nanometer, which is 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Nanomaterials are fascinating because they exhibit unique optical, magnetic, electrical, and other characteristics at such a small scale. These emergent features might have huge implications in electronics, health, and other domains.

Types of Nanomaterial

Carbon-based nanomaterials come in the shapes of ellipsoids, hollow spheres, and tubes and are made mostly of carbon. Nanosilver, nanogold, quantum dots, and nano oxides like titanium dioxide are metal-based nanomaterials. Dendrimers are branching polymers that are nanoscale in size. Composites, on the other hand, blend nanoparticles with other nanoparticles or with larger, bulkier elements.

1. Nanoparticles- A nanoparticle is a three-dimensional entity with a size between 1 and 100 nanometers. Nanoparticles are particularly significant in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries, but they are also crucial in energy storage technology. Gold nanoparticles, for example, are attracting a lot of attention because of their vast range of medicinal uses, particularly in cancer therapy. Drug delivery techniques such as liposomes and micelles are particularly effective. Ferric nanoparticles in iron-oligosaccharide complexes are extensively used in intravenous iron treatment.
2. 2D Material- Graphene was one of the first 2D materials to spark interest in these types of materials. The interesting features of 2D nanomaterials have been the subject of several investigations in the field of energy conversion and storage. However, there’s more: Metal layers, for example, play an essential part in the display assembly’s visual performance. Nanocrystalline TiO2 coatings are one of the most popular materials for replacing hard tissue because they have good mechanical and chemical characteristics. 
3. Quantum Dots- Quantum dots are tiny, manufactured semiconducting crystals that can transport electrons. They may emit light in a variety of hues when exposed to UV radiation. Microwave-assisted colloidal synthesis is one approach to making these materials. Solar cells, biological applications, LED displays, photodetectors, and photocatalysts are just a few of the applications.
4. Carbon Nanotubes- Allotropes of carbon having a cylindrical nanostructure are known as carbon nanotubes (CNTs). They are made up of one (single-walled CNT) or multiple (multi-walled CNT) carbon layers wrapped around a hollow core with a graphitic structure. Both the core and the wall have diameters in the nanometer range, although the overall length of the tubes is often significantly larger. CNT composites distributed in matrix materials (e.g. polymers) exhibit a variety of intriguing and unique features. As a result, they might be valuable in a variety of domains, including materials science, electronics, optics, and others.
5. Nanowires, Nanofibers, Nanorods- In the nanoscale, these materials have two dimensions and are made by synthesis. While nanowires are utilized in a variety of applications such as field-effect transistors, sensors, lasers, and more, nanofibers are most commonly employed in tissue engineering, medication delivery, cancer diagnostics, optical sensors, air filtration, and textiles. Nanorods are solid nanofibers that are useful for energy storage because of their exceptional performance.

Optical Properties of Nanomaterial

• Surface plasmon resonance is an in-phase oscillation caused by the coherent stimulation of completely free electrons in the conduction band. SPR is in charge of the optical characteristics.
• A surface plasmon resonance is created when the size of a metal nanocrystal is smaller than the wavelength of incoming light. Light is tightly restricted to the nanostructure’s surface during resonance until it is eventually absorbed into the metal or dispersed back into photons.
• Optical qualities include characteristics such as color and transparency. At the nanoscale, these qualities are seen to alter. Bulk gold, for example, appears yellow in color, whereas nanoscale gold appears red.

Conclusion

Nanomaterials have a lengthy history, and they have been used by people without their knowledge. There has been a lot of development in nanotechnology, and science is constantly growing into new domains. When a material’s dimension falls between 1 and 100 nanometers, it’s dubbed a nanomaterial. Nanomaterials are synthesized using two different methods. Top-down techniques, which include mechanical milling, electrospinning, lithography, sputtering, arc discharge, and laser ablation technologies, are one of the most common ways. Bottom-up procedures, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), solvothermal and hydrothermal, sol-gel, and reverse micelle processes, are the second approach.