Green Nanomaterials: From bioinspired synthesis to sustainable manufacturing of inorganic nanomaterials

Inorganic nanoparticles are used a range of applications, from pregnancy tests to catalysis and the latest innovations in high density data storage. This book aims to provide a detailed understanding of emerging green methods for preparing inorganic nanomaterials as green chemistry has great promise for future developments, especially in sustainable designs for materials, processes and consumer goods. To date, green chemistry has mostly focussed on the synthesis of fine chemicals and very rarely on nanomaterials. By 2016, the global demand for nanomaterials will be $5.5 billion and includes catalysis, separations, medicine and energy, to name just a few. Current methods for producing nanomaterials are complex, energy demanding, multistep, and/or environmentally damaging. New bioinspired/biomimetic approaches are emerging, which harness biological principles from biomineralisation to design green nanomaterials for the future. Further, in order to progress with these technologies, multidisciplinary skills are required, spanning from sciences to engineering. This book aims to bridge these gaps.