Chapter 1:
Fabrication of oxide nanoparticles by ion implantation and thermal oxidation
Hiroshi Amekura Chapter 2:
Design of solution-grown ZnO nanostructures
Thierry Pauporté Chapter 3:
Self-assembled metal nanostructures in semiconductor structures
Francesco Ruffino Chapter 4:
Nanocrystal based polymer composites as novel functional materials
Marinella Striccoli Chapter 5:
Large-scale ab initio study of size, shape, and doping effects on electronic structure of nanocrystals
Jingbo Li Chapter 6:
Chaotic behavior appearing in dynamic motions of nanoscale particles
Kouji Miura Chapter 7:
Hydrogen concentration, bonding configuration and electron emission properties of polycrystalline diamond films: from micro- to nano-metric grain size
Alon Hoffman Chapter 8:
Super-resolution optical effects of nanoscale nonlinear thin film structure and ultrahigh density information storage
Jingsong Wei Chapter 9:
Spin-transfer and current-induced spin dynamics in spin valves: diffusive transport regime
Martin Gmitra Chapter 10 :
Self-organized surface nanopatterning by ion beam sputtering
Raul Gago Chapter 11:
Area-selective depositions of self-assembled monolayers on patterned SiO2/Si surfaces
Changhsun Wang Chapter 12:
Virtual synthesis of electronic nanomaterials: Fundamentals and prospects
Liudmila Pozhar

Advanced probes and new fabrication techniques enable nanomaterials to pervade multiple disciplines, including physics, chemistry, engineering and biology. Na- materials have been extensively investigated with various kinds of morphologies (nanoparticles, nanowhiskers, nanorods, nanowires, nanoclusters, quantum dots, etc. ) and compositions (semiconductor, metal, polymer, etc. ). Impressive progress has been made on directed assembly and synthesis, structure, and property ch- acterization, as well as nanoscale device concepts and performance by a diverse group of experts. However, in spite of continued advancements in various aspects of functional nanomaterials, numerous challenges must still be overcome at different stages for practical applications to be realized. It seems that there is a need for a book in which individual research groups comprehensively review their up-to-date efforts and simulate further developments in other laboratories. Therefore, I believe that this book, which consists of twelve chapters from nine countries, is a timely undertaking. "Fabrication of Oxide Nanoparticles by Ion Implantation and Thermal Oxi- tion" is an in-depth review of the formation of oxide nanoparticles by metal ion implantation and subsequent thermal oxidation. Amekura and Kishimoto believe that there is a potential for an "embedded" breakthrough in the eld of oxide nanoparticles similar to "Hache's nding of a breakthrough" in the eld of metal nanoparticles. In"DesignofSolution-GrownZnONanostructures",Pauporter ¿ eviews signi cant progress toward the growth of well-controlled ZnO nanostructures in solution. He argues that solution-based methods are cost-effective and that the resulting nanostructures are easy to scale up for applications.