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Nanostructures: Preparation, Structural Characteristics and Properties

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Nanoscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2025 | Viewed by 5351

Special Issue Editor


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“Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, 41A Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iasi, Romania
Interests: photodynamic properties; intra/inter-molecular interactions in solutions and in solvent mixtures (preferential solvation) and the effect of medium factors; solvatochromic behavior of some azomaleimide derivatives using density functional theory (DFT), charge transfer in azomaleimides by quantochemical calculations (DFT, TD-DFT, ab initio)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The nanostructured materials have gained a great interest in the past years not only for basic scientific research, but for their practical perspectives due to their unique physico-chemical characteristics as compared to the bulk counterparts. Preparation of highly quality nanostructures having tailorable size, shape and morphology is essential for applications in optoelectronics, photocatalysis, ceramics, biomedical imaging, sensing, waterwaste treatment or nanodevices. Also, the semiconducting quantum dots present an intensive development in the field of nanotechnology. The size, surface structure and interactions between nanoparticles can lead to the new properties and improve the performances of the nanomaterials which can realize by their controllable synthesis. A continual effort has been performed towards the nanostructured metal oxides due to their unexpected physical and chemical characteristics that arise from quantum confinement at nanoscale. Additionally, the optical and electrical properties of the nanostructures are very important in the elucidation of the reactions and formation mechanisms of the nanoparticles. This special issue proposes to highlight, but it is not limited, recent progress in the synthesis, properties and applicability of the nanostructured materials, modification of the nanostructures by transition or noble metals as well as the future trends.

Dr. Anton Airinei
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nanostructures
  • synthesis methods
  • optical and electronic properties
  • morphology
  • band gap engineering
  • spectroscopy
  • photocatalysis
  • metal doping
  • nanoheterostructures
  • antioxidant and antimicrobial activity
  • biomedical applications

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 13195 KiB  
Article
Structure Engineering of Ni/SiO2 Vegetable Oil Hydrogenation Catalyst via CeO2
by Margarita Gabrovska, Dimitrinka Nikolova, Vojkan Radonjić, Daniela Karashanova, Aleksandra Baeva, Tsvetomila Parvanova-Mancheva, Peter Tzvetkov, Evangeliya Petrova, Gabriella Zarkova and Jugoslav Krstić
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(14), 7585; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25147585 - 10 Jul 2024
Viewed by 795
Abstract
Inspired by our finding that metallic Ni particles could be uniformly distributed on a reduced CeO2 surface and stabilized on Ce3+ sites, we suppose a possible improvement in the activity and selectivity of the MgNi/SiO2 vegetable oil hydrogenation catalyst by [...] Read more.
Inspired by our finding that metallic Ni particles could be uniformly distributed on a reduced CeO2 surface and stabilized on Ce3+ sites, we suppose a possible improvement in the activity and selectivity of the MgNi/SiO2 vegetable oil hydrogenation catalyst by increasing the surface metal Ni availability via modification by ceria. The proposed approach involved the addition of a CeO2 modifier to the SiO2 carrier and as a catalyst component. Evaluation of the structure, reducibility, and surface and electronic states of the CeO2-doped MgNi/SiO2 catalyst was performed by means of the Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) combined with High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Temperature-programmed reduction with hydrogen (H2-TPR), and H2-chemisortion techniques. So far, no studies related to this approach of designing Ni/SiO2 catalysts for the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oil have been reported. The added ceria impact was elucidated by comparing fatty acid compositions obtained by the catalysts at an iodine value of 80. In summary, tuning the hydrogenation performance of Ni-based catalysts can be achieved by structural reconstruction using 1 wt.% CeO2. The introduction mode changed the selectivity towards C18:1-cis and C18:0 fatty acids by applying ceria as a carrier modifier, while hydrogenation activity was improved upon ceria operation as the catalyst dopant. Full article
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20 pages, 6063 KiB  
Article
Tailoring the Structural and Optical Properties of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Prepared by an Ecofriendly Green Route Using Plant Extracts
by Nicusor Fifere, Rodinel Ardeleanu, Florica Doroftei, Marius Dobromir and Anton Airinei
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 681; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010681 - 4 Jan 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2032
Abstract
The present study explores an environmentally friendly green approach to obtain cerium oxide nanoparticles via a biomediated route using Mellisa officinalis and Hypericum perforatum plant extracts as reducing agents. The as-prepared nanoparticles were studied for their structural and morphological characteristics using XRD diffractometry, [...] Read more.
The present study explores an environmentally friendly green approach to obtain cerium oxide nanoparticles via a biomediated route using Mellisa officinalis and Hypericum perforatum plant extracts as reducing agents. The as-prepared nanoparticles were studied for their structural and morphological characteristics using XRD diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, Raman, fluorescence and electronic absorption spectra, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XRD pattern has shown the centered fluorite crystal structure of cerium oxide nanoparticles with average crystallite size below 10 nm. These observations were in agreement with the STEM data. The cubic fluorite structure of the cerium oxide nanoparticles was confirmed by the vibrational mode around 462 cm−1 due to the Ce-08 unit. The optical band gap was estimated from UV-Vis reflectance spectra, which was found to decrease from 3.24 eV to 2.98 eV. A higher specific area was determined for the sample using M. officinalis aqueous extract. The EDX data indicated that only cerium and oxygen are present in the green synthesized nanoparticles. Full article
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21 pages, 5412 KiB  
Article
Phytomediated-Assisted Preparation of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Using Plant Extracts and Assessment of Their Structural and Optical Properties
by Nicusor Fifere, Anton Airinei, Florica Doroftei, Tudor Stefan Ardeleanu, Marius Dobromir, Daniel Tîmpu and Elena-Laura Ursu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(10), 8917; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24108917 - 17 May 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1937
Abstract
Cerium oxide nanoparticles were obtained using aqueous extracts of Chelidonium majus and Viscum album. X-ray diffractometry analysis confirmed the crystalline structure of the synthesized cerium oxide nanoparticles calcined at 600 °C. Scanning electron microscopy, UV-Vis reflectance and Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and fluorescence [...] Read more.
Cerium oxide nanoparticles were obtained using aqueous extracts of Chelidonium majus and Viscum album. X-ray diffractometry analysis confirmed the crystalline structure of the synthesized cerium oxide nanoparticles calcined at 600 °C. Scanning electron microscopy, UV-Vis reflectance and Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and fluorescence studies were utilized to interpret the morphological and optical properties of these nanoparticles. The STEM images revealed the spherical shape of the nanoparticles and that they were predominantly uniform in size. The optical band gap of our cerium nanoparticles was determined to be 3.3 and 3.0 eV from reflectance measurements using the Tauc plots. The nanoparticle sizes evaluated from the Raman band at 464 cm−1 due to the F2g mode of the cubic fluorite structure of cerium oxide are close to those determined from the XRD and STEM data. The fluorescence results showed emission bands at 425, 446, 467, and 480 nm. The electronic absorption spectra have exhibited an absorption band around 325 nm. The antioxidant potential of the cerium oxide nanoparticles was estimated by DPPH scavenging assay. Full article
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