Hitchhiking in the Nano World

The book starts with a fundamental question: why do we talk about nanoparticles and not pico-particles? At the pico scale, the identity (atomic or molecular) is lost. At this point, we mention a crucial difference between scale and scaling. Nano is mainly about a length-scale limit, but it can also be associated with scaling. We raise the question following Mandelbrot, How long is the coast of Norway?. He explained how a smaller scale of measurement makes the coastal length longer and longer. Does nanoscale have such a fractal flavor? We provide some examples. Thermodynamics is normally meant to describe macroscopic and bulk scale phenomena. How we can describe thermodynamic parameters at the nanoscale? The intriguing aspects of nano-confinement and reaction coupling at the nanoscale are described in one chapter.Can nanotechnology take us beyond the green revolution? We show that there are some possibilities for such nano-driven agro revolution. A subsequent chapter focuses on quantum technology (QT) and its overlap with nanotechnology (NT) and biotechnology (BT). Lastly, we stretch our imagination to exploit nanotechnology in space, defense and other rarely touched-upon subjects. This futuristic chapter would serve as a treasure house for young innovators.