Phys.org February 2, 2024 Despite remarkable advancements, the controlled assembly of highly anisotropic 2Dnanosheets is significantly challenging, primarily due to the limited availability of selective edge-to-edge connectivity compared to the abundant large faces. Researchers in South Korea have shown controlled self-assembly of 2D-silica nanosheets (2D-SiNSs) into hollow micron-sized soccer ball-like shells (SA-SiMS). The assembly was driven by the physical flexibility of the 2D-SiNSs and the differential electric double-layer charge gradient creating electrostatic bias on the edge and face regions. The resulting SA-SiMS structures exhibited high mechanical stability, even at high-temperatures, and exhibited excellent performance as catalyst support in the dry […]
Category Archives: Nanomaterials
A positive spin-electrospinning and electrospraying synergism for the nanomaterials industry
Nanowerk February 1, 2024 Researchers in Hong Kong reviewed the development history of E-spinning and E-spraying technologies and showed how they move from unity to fragmentation. According to the different forms of cooperation, EES is mainly divided into three categories: E-spinning before E-spraying, alternate E-spinning/E-spraying, and simultaneous E-spinning/E-spraying. They summarized the development, application, and challenges of the EES in four different main areas, namely natural environment, energy utilization, human health, and functional membrane regulation. The challenges, bottlenecks, and development prospects of EES technology in all fields were highlighted, summarized, and discussed from a future perspective… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Hybrid nanomaterials promise a sustainability boost across multiple industries
Nanowerk October 27, 2023 Polyoxometalate (POM)-based binary and ternary hybrids are key materials in photoelectrocatalysis. These composites combine the properties of two or three functional nanoscale materials, resulting in a wide range of applications, including catalysis, energy conversion and storage, molecular sensors, and electronics. An international team of researchers (Germany, China) summarized the latest progress in POM-based binary nanohybrids (POM/metal, POM/semiconductor, and POM/nanocarbon) and ternary nanohybrids (metal/POM/nanocarbon), particularly in energy materials for photocatalysis, fuel cells, biosensors, and photoelectrochemical devices. Current applications were critically assessed, and promising target systems were discussed… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
New chiral nanostructures to extend the material platform
Phys.org October 22, 2021 The majority of previously developed chiral nanomaterials reveal the optical activity in a relatively shorter wavelength range (ultraviolet–visible, UV–vis), not in short-wave infrared (SWIR). An international team of researchers (South Korea, USA – University of Michigan) has demonstrated a versatile method to synthesize chiral copper sulfides using cysteine, as the stabilizer, and transferring the chirality from molecular- to the microscale through self-assembly. The assembled structures showed broad chiroptical activity in the UV–vis-NIR-SWIR region (200–2500 nm). They could tune the chiroptical activity by simply changing the reaction conditions. This approach can be extended to materials platforms for […]
An artificial ionic neuron for tomorrow’s electronic memories
Nanowerk August 17, 2021 Researchers in France report that devices made of a single layer of water transporting ions within graphene nanoslits have the same transmission capacity as a neuron. They developed an analytical theory, backed up by molecular dynamics simulations, that predicts strongly nonlinear effects in ion transport across quasi–two-dimensional slits. They showed that under an electric field, ions assemble into elongated clusters, whose slow dynamics result in hysteretic conduction. The memristor effect, can be harnessed to build an elementary neuron. As a proof of concept, they carried out molecular simulations of two nanofluidic slits that reproduced the Hodgkin-Huxley […]
Online ‘library of properties’ helps to create safer nanomaterials
Nanowerk June 8, 2021 Under the European Union H2020-funded NanoSolveIT project an international team of researchers (Cyprus, UK) has developed a decision support system in the form of both stand-alone open software and a freely available cloud library containing full physicochemical characterisation of 69 nanomaterials, plus calculated molecular descriptors to increase the value of the available information. The dataset contains over 70 descriptors per nanomaterial. Over the last two years, this project has already presented some very impressive results with more than 30 publications, making NanoSolveIT one of the most active projects in the nanomaterials safety and informatics space. The […]
Whitepaper evaluates opportunities and risks of nanomaterials
Nanowerk August 4, 2020 An international team of researchers led by Italy provides an overview of the state‐of‐the‐art regarding risk governance of nanomaterials (NMs) and lays out the theoretical basis for the development and implementation of an effective, trustworthy, and transparent risk governance framework for NMs. The proposed framework enables continuous integration of the evolving state of the science, leverages best practice from contiguous disciplines and facilitates responsive re‐thinking of nanosafety governance to meet future needs. They developed a science‐based Risk Governance Council (RGC) for NM research. The framework to be expanded to relevant advanced materials and emerging technologies…read more. […]