Madhuri Sharon - History of Nanotechnology: From Prehistoric to Modern Times

Scrivener Publishing
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Advances in Nanotechnology & Applications

Series Editor: Madhuri Sharon

The unique properties of nanomaterials encourage the belief that they can be applied in a wide range of fields, from medical applications to electronics, environmental sciences, information and communication, heavy industries like aerospace, refineries, automobile, consumer and sports good, etc.

This book series will focus on the properties and related applications of nanomaterials so as to have a clear fundamental picture as to why nanoparticles are being tried instead of traditional methods. Since nanotechnology is encompassing various fields of science, each book will focus on one topic and will detail the basics to advanced science for the benefit of all levels of researchers.

Series Editor: Madhuri Sharon, Director, Walchand Centre for Research in Nanotechnology & Bionanotechnology
W.H. Marg, Ashok Chowk, Solapur 413 006
Maharashtra,
India

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Publishers at Scrivener
Martin Scrivener ()
Phillip Carmical ()

History of Nanotechnology

From Pre-Historic to Modern Times

Edited by

Madhuri Sharon

This edition first published 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA and Scrivener Publishing LLC, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 541J, Beverly, MA 01915, USA
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

ISBN 978-1-119-46008-4

Preface

Nanotechnology is a very rich field of science due to informational input by physicists, chemists, engineers, geologists and biologists. However, this book was written from a laymans perspective and questions whether it is a new science, or, like other sciences, was already discovered and utilized by nature. Did nature, which created an entire universe made up of galaxies, the solar system, the Earth and even living beings from the smallest known entities, also create nanoparticles? It is a difficult subject to write about since compiling knowledge about nature that has not been recorded in an easily decipherable form, coupled with the possibility of some natural records having been lost during the long periods of history either by nature or us, makes most information unavailable to us. We realized that apart from nature, human beings have also knowingly or unknowingly fabricated and utilized nanoparticles for various reasons. Looking back through history and searching for the existence of nanoparticles, not visible to the eye, and nanotechnology, not yet known to us but seen in nature, has been an interesting journey for us. I hope we have made it interesting enough for the readers also.

Madhuri Sharon
September 2018

Foreword

Dr. Neelam Koomar

It is a novel idea to write about nanotechnology in ancient periods. Since I have been a student of ancient Indian history and culture, it is difficult for me to review science, especially nanotechnology and its effect in ancient times.

Dr. Madhuri Sharon and her team-mates have very effectively described this rich field of science applied in the past. They have very lucidly described its application in prehistoric times. In ancient India, unknowingly, people have used it in the field of medicine, cosmetics, metallurgy, etc. Nanotechnology flourished in the Maya civilization of South America and also in Roman culture.

If you sincerely analyze the Vedic period and Ramayana era, nanoparticles and nanotechnology were utilized.

Thanks to Dr. Madhuri Sharon who introduced me to nano-technology a decade ago. I wish Dr. Sharon and her team great success.

Dr. Neelam Koomar
Retd. Head of the Department of History and Culture
T.M. Bhagalpur University, India

Chapter 1
How Old is Nanotechnology?

Mrinal Chakre and Madhuri Sharon

Walchand College of Arts and Science, Solapur University, Solapur, Maharashtra, India

I want to know why the universe exists, why there is something greater than nothing.
Stephen Hawking

Preamble

When we sat down to write this chapter, the first thing that came to mind was whether there are nanoparticles existing in nature which are not man-made or fabricated. Both biotic and abiotic natural nanoparticles came to mind. The next question was, Since when? Nanoparticles by definition are particles of any shape with an equivalent diameter of 1100 nm, i.e., specifically those particles that are intermediate in size between bulk materials and atomic/molecular structures or quantum dots. These nano-size particles exhibit unique physical and chemical properties due to their distinctive novel properties related to a high surface area to volume ratio and/or quantum effects.