Nanomaterials are materials with a characteristic length scale (particle diameter, grain size) or less than 100 nanometers. The use of nanoparticles aims to take advantage of their better or even different properties as compared to bulk behaviour (confinement effect, larger surface area to volume ratio). At first nanomaterials were used as catalysts and pigments but now the mechanical, optical, electric and biological properties of silicon based nanostructures and nanostructured ceramics are finding applications at all stages of materials processsing.
nanostrcutured Silicon-Based Powders and Composites will be an invaluable reference for researchers in materials science, ceramics and biomaterials.