Applications of Nanomaterials: From Nanoscale Mechanics to Emerging Technologies

Abstract

Nanomaterials have become important building blocks in modern engineering, medicine, energy, electronics, environmental technology, and sensing because their properties can differ substantially from those of conventional bulk materials. Their high surface-area-to-volume ratio, tunable surface chemistry, short transport distances, and size-dependent electrical, optical, mechanical, and catalytic behavior create opportunities for high-sensitivity sensors, energy-storage electrodes, drug-delivery platforms, environmental remediation systems, nanoelectromechanical devices, and multifunctional structural materials. This review summarizes major classes of nanomaterials and their principal applications, with particular attention to mechanical nanostructures and the size-dependent behavior of single-crystalline nanoplates. It also discusses carbon nanomaterials, metallic nanoparticles, biosensing, energy technologies, biomedical uses, and environmental remediation. Finally, major barriers to practical deployment—including manufacturing reproducibility, agglomeration, long-term stability, toxicity, scalability, and reliability—are considered.