There is considerable hope for the application of nanomaterials in many fields, from nanomedicine to nanoelectronics. Editor Sattler (Univ. of Hawaii) here presents the first installment of a ten-volume series on nanoscience whose final volume (covering public policy, education, and global trends) is promised for later this year. This initial book contains 21 chapters on a variety of topics related to nanoscience, generally slanted toward theoretical concepts rather than experiment and applications (covered in later volumes). Seven chapters discuss transport theory, and another five cover numerical methods and simulations. All 21 chapters assume at least basic familiarity with their subject matter, but there is considerable variation among them in the level of experience required of readers. Chapter 12 provides a concise introduction to random matrix theory, but there is not much material on its specific applicability to nanosystems. Chapter 19 explains the use of density functional methods in nanosystems, but readers probably would need previous exposure to density functional theory. Chapter 18, on the phase behavior of nanosystems, is notably brief. Owing to the rapid pace of nanoscience research and its interdisciplinary character, this volume-and the entire series-is probably most appropriate for acquisition by institutions with active research programs in the areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
-M. C. Ogilvie, Washington University, CHOICE, October 2020