Analytical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Abstract

Research in nanoscience and nanotechnology has widely developed to the extent that today there are a large variety of nanotools and nanomaterials providing exciting applications in most areas of Science and Technology. Particularly, the availability of materials and methods produced at the nanometer scale, with varied functionalization possibilities, has rendered them as very attractive materials for analytical chemistry applications. Current (bio)analytical developments achieved by exploiting attractive properties of nanomaterials to design and apply them for (bio)analysis are here reviewed. Moreover, the great number of novel nanomaterials that are continuously produced require improved analytical methodologies specifically designed to enable the detection, quantification, and characterization of the nanomaterials (key information in quality control of the nanomaterials, to study their environmental behavior in toxicity studies or to improve the knowledge of their properties, thus making more effective their final use). An overview of this dual facet of the relationship between analytical chemistry and the nanoworld is presented here. To conclude, a brief discussion about the use of nanomaterials in the development of novel improved analytical methodologies to characterize or detect nanomaterials, along with a short outlook on future directions of the continuously growing nanoworld‐related analytical applications, is also included.

Quantum Dot bioconjugates for diagnostic applications

“…One-dimensional (1-D) nanomaterials possess two dimensions within 1-100 nm and only one dimension bigger than the nanometer scale, such as such as nanotubes, nanorods, nanowires, etc. And finally, Zero-dimensional (0-D) nanomaterials are those where the three dimensions are within 1-100 nm, where nanoparticles (NPs) are included, such as metal NPs, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), or carbon based quantum dots (C-dots) [2].…”