Biodegradable Polymers and Sustainable Polymers (BIOPOL-2009)

This book provides a broad discussion on recent research advances in gold nanomaterials. Since their use in glass staining during the Gothic and Renaissance period, gold nanomaterials have recently been more extensively studied and used in different fields, including applications in biomedical and energy domains. Although the scope of research in gold nanomaterials is enormous, this book provides for the first time a practical overview that condenses this immense amount of information into a single volume. While there are a number of excellent books on the market covering various types of nanomaterials, there are very few monographs to date that specifically focus on the broad research areas on gold nanomaterials. This book attempts to capture the recent developments in gold nanomaterials research through nine chapters in four broad sections; these sections are divided by the synthesis of gold nanomaterials, biological applications, sensing, and energy applications of gold nanomaterials. Many of the chapters contain introductions to the basic physical and chemical principles of the subject area. The authors hope that this book will serve as a good introduction to people just entering the field, and also for practitioners and experts seeking information in other subfields of gold nanomaterials.