Introduction Nanomaterials are the new form of materials that are constantly evolving in the diversified field of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology, in general, deals with substances that less than a nanometre in scale in atleast one dimension. Hence nanomaterials are materials that unique have properties due to their nanoscale level. It is used in various different process and industries such as nanoelectronics, nanomedicine and many more. One of the approaches for nanomaterials is the bottom up approach. The concept of this approach is that smaller materials are arranged to form a complicated structure. Some of the examples include DNA nanotechnology and molecular self assembly. Smart Materials Smart materials, by definition are materials which have properties that can be controlled and changed by external factors such as temperature, pressure, electric and magnetic fields etc. The different types of smart materials are given below. Piezoelectric materials These are materials that produce a voltage when stress is applied to them. The reverse process, that is the production of stress when a voltage is applied is also applicable. Discovered by Jacques and Pierre Curries brothers in 1880, it was found out that when a mechanical stress was applied on crystals such as tourmaline, tourmaline, topaz, quartz, Rochelle salt and cane sugar, electrical charges appeared, and that this voltage was proportional to the stress applied. The most common example of piezoelectric materials is Quartz (SiO2). The first applications were in quartz clocks where it was used to regulate the frequency of swinging and ultrasonic inducers. In modern times, it is used in it is used as the car's airbag sensor, where a huge stress sends an electric signal and the airbag pops out. Shape Memory Alloy These are materials that remember their original coldforged shapes and return to this pre-deformed shape when heated. They do this by exhibiting two interesting properties known as pseudo-elasticity and shape memory effect. Shape memory effect takes place in solid state phase change. The two phases, which occur in shape memory alloys, are Martensite, and Austenite. It can be either one-way memory effect ( changes shape in cold state and continues to exist in this form until heated) or two-way memory effect ( material remembers two different shapes; one in the cold state and one in the heated state). Pseudo-elastic effects are caused not by temperature change, but by stress. Autensite is transformed to Martensite due to the stress and reverted back to Autensite when the stress is removed. The most effective and widely used alloys include NiTi (Nickel - Titanium), CuZnAl, and CuAlNi. It was reportedly used first in the 1930s, when A. lander discovered the pseudoelastic behavior of the Au-Cd alloy in 1932. Uses of shape memory alloys in the modern wold are many. It is used in aircraft industry to reduce the noise of engines, in commercial piping such as oil pipes and normal water pipes, in robotics to produce light weight robots, in optometry to produce frames eyeglass frames that are virtually indestructible,in orthopedic surgery as a fixation-compression device for osteotomies and in dentistry to form braces. It is even used in magic tricks involving heat and shape shifting.

Magnetostrictive materials These are materials that exhibit changes in shape when a magnetic field is applied or produce a magnetic field when mechanical stress is applied. The effect was first identified in 1842 by James Joule when observing a sample of nickel. Ferromagnetic materials are divided into domains which are of uniform magnetic polarization. When a magnetic field is applied, the boundaries shift and the domains rotate both of which causes the shape to change. The reverse process, also known as the Villari effect, also happens when mechanical stress is applied. Magnetostrictive materials can be used to produce kinetic energy from magnetic energy and vice versa. Due to this they are used to build sensors and actuators. Magnetic Shape alloys These are also ferromagnetic materials that change shape when a magnetic field is applied to them. However they differ from magnetostrictive materials by the fact that they produce much larger strains. The most studied example is Ni2MnGa. pH sensitive polymers These are polymers that change their dimension in response to pH changes in the surrounding. There are two types of pH sensitive polymers; one which contains an acidic group and swells in response to basic conditions. An example of this would be Polyacrylic acid. The other is the one which contains basic groups and swells in response to acidic conditions. An example of this type would be Chitosan. These materials are extensively used in the medical field for purposes such as controlled drug delivery systems. Temperature responsive polymers These are polymers that undergo a change in structure when the temperature changes above and below a critical temperature known as the LCST ( lower critical solution temperature ). The history of these materials start in the 1960s when Heskins and Guillet started investigating them. Today, these polymers are used in various processes such as hydrophobic interaction chromatography, size exclusion chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography. Temperature responsive polymers are extensively used in medicine as they are used for drug delivery, tissue engineering and biofunctional molecular techniques for smarter behaviour. The most widely researched temperatureresponsive polymer is poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PIPAAm), which has both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions on its side chains, and with a LCST of 32. Halochromic materials These are materials which can change colour reversibly when pH changes are detected. These are used in environments where pH changes occur frequently. They detect the changes in acidity of a substance such as corrosion. Used as pH indicators. Chromogenic systems These are also materials that change colour, but due to electrical, optical or thermal changes. One common modern use is in LCD ( Liquid Crystal Display ) TVs and monitors which includes electrochromic materials which change their colour or opacity on the application of a voltage. Also available are photochromic materials which change colour when exposed to light (e.g:- in spectacle photochromic lenses are used which darken in sunlight.) and also thermochromic materials which change colour depending on temperature ( e.g:- used as special inks).

Ferrofluids Ferrofluid is a combined term of the Latin word ferrum, meaning iron, and fluid. Ferrofluids are made up of iron-containing particles ( usually magnetite or hematite ) on a nanoscale suspended in a liquid medium.Originally discovered in the 1960s by NASA scientists in a reasearch to control liquids in space and it was immediately recognized as beneficial because the direction of movement of the fluid could be controlled by a magnetic field. Ferrofluids have many uses. They are used to behave as liquid O-rings when at the entrance of a high pressure or low pressure chamber, used as friction reducing devices, influencing the rotation of space craft, analytical purposes and in Medicine for MRI scanning and experimental cancer therapy. It is also used in optics to make adaptive telescopes as well as in numerous music videos and museum and art gallery entrance as a fascinating attraction. Photomechanical materials These are special types of materials that change shape when exposed to light. The first effect was documented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1880 and it is mostly used for light induced heating. Self healing materials These are a special subclass of smart materials that have incorporated the ability to repair the damage caused by mechanical usage over time. Materials like these can dramatically reduce production costs. Categories include reversible healing polymers, autonomic polymer healing and healing agents in either liquid or solid phase. Dielectric elastomers These are smart materials that able of producing large strains, typically up to 300%. They have been investigated since the late 90s and have high elastic density. Typical materials are silicon and acrylic. Used in prosthetics, pumps, valves, speakers etc. Nanoscaled materials used in the industry Nanoscaled materials in the industry are very many and of diversified types. Carbon nanotubes are used in the construction industry to prevent crack formation, titanium dioxide nanoparticles for self cleaning of concrete, iron onxide nanoparticles for strong and abrasion resistive nanoparticles and copper nanoparticles for corrosion resistance. Similarly nanomaterials are also used in the electronics industry to find new Lithium ion batteries used for space exploration which have high energy and power densities and can operate at low temperatures. It is also used in the batteries of hybrid cars and other such vehicles. Nanomaterials are also used in the food industry to make food packaging. An example of this is bottles made of nanoparticles to minimize the leakage of carbon dioxide from carbonated drinks and hence increase their shelf life. It is also used to make bins with silver nanomaterials that reduce the amount the amount of harmful bacteria produced by waste food and keep the environment safe. Also under development are food packaging that change colour when food goes bad and to alert humans. Nanoparticles are used in the agriculture industry to carry pesticides so that they infect only the inside of insects' stomachs and hence do little damage to the crops themselves. The weapons manufacturing industry also makes use of nanoparticles to make projectiles made of depleted-uranium to use against heavily armoured vehicles and hardened targets. I also has self -sharpening properties and is non-explosive.

As shown above a variety of nanoscaled materials are used in industries today and have a variety of uses. Nanotools Nanotools are a developing feature in today's modern industry. Nanotools are used because they are:Precise - 2 nm sharpness. Better than 0.5 tip orientation. Has nanometer accuracy in tip length and diameter. Durable Made of a high density, diamond-like material. Mechanical robustness eight times better than that of silicon. Inert to most chemicals and has a smooth hydrophobic tip surface. Accurate - Well-defined, conical, rotation-symmetric single-tip shape. All dimensions controlled within nanometer precision. Due to the above advantages nanotools are fast becoming preferred tools in the modern market. Used as scanning probes and various other tools. Conclusion The field of nanomaterials is an ever expanding one and especially so with the bottom-up manufacturing approach which creates less pollution than conventional manufacturing methods. Nanomaterials will be used more and more in medicine and enhance human capabilities beyond their norm. More and more materials will be stain resistant, hard, enduring and last more than life time due to the incorporation of nanomaterials. New mobile phones are being developed with nanomaterials that can be integrated with the human body and used a whole lot more. Soon, nanotechnology will become a part of our daily lives by being so commonplace and will change our world forever.

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