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Synthesis, Morphology, and Properties of Functional Nanomaterials

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 October 2022) | Viewed by 16354

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Assoc. Prof. Andrey S. Mereshchenko

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Institute of Chemistry, Saint-Petersburg State University, 26 Universitetskii pr., Petergof, St. Petersburg 198504, Russia
Interests: ultrafast spectroscopy; electronic and vibrational spectroscopy; nonadiabatic dynamics; coordination chemistry; transition metal complexes; solution chemistry; luminescent nanomaterials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The properties of nanomaterials are typically determined not only by composition but by the size and morphology of nanoparticles. This feature is used to design materials with specific photoactive, conductive/semiconductive, mechanical, and other properties. Thus, quantum dots are actively utilized as dyes, light-emitting devices, and components of solar cells, where their photoactive properties are controlled by their shape and size. An important branch of engineering is the creation of molecular nanomotors and integrated nanodevices. In microelectronics, the design of nanowires, single-electron transistors, diodes, and other nanoelectronics allows improving the computer performance. This will allow the storage, processing, and transmission of a large amount of information as well as facilitate the development of quantum computers and improvement of neural networks. Moving from technical to chemical–biological applications, nanostructures are in demand for selective catalysis. Functional nanomaterials play an important role in cleaning the environment, and molecular sieves and selective sorbents are widely used for gas separation. Functional nanomaterials have gained great popularity in medicine. Functional nanomaterials are opening up a whole new area of research of molecular design, so it is feasible to assemble new nanostructures that are widely used to study the functions of DNA, RNA, viruses, antibodies, as well as to create biocompatible materials that allow for the accurate delivery of drugs to specific human organs.

This Special Issue, collecting topics from an interdisciplinary viewpoint, is aimed at providing a resourceful background for readers, addressing the design of new functional materials and the devices based on them. Further, authors are encouraged to submit original works on the mechanisms of formation of nanocrystals and the effect of synthesis parameters on the morphology and properties of such materials.

Assoc. Prof. Andrey S. Mereshchenko
Guest Editor

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Keywords

functional nanomaterials
nanochemistry
nanosized materials
quantum dots
functional nanomaterials
catalysis
molecular motors
photonics
photovoltaics
photoactive

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 10044 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mixed Electronic-Ionic Conductivity and Stability of Spark Plasma Sintered Graphene-Augmented Alumina Nanofibres Doped Yttria Stabilized Zirconia GAlN/YSZ Composites

by Olga Kurapova, Oleg Glumov, Ivan Smirnov, Yaroslav Konakov and Vladimir Konakov

Materials 2023, 16(2), 618; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16020618 - 09 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1205

Abstract

Graphene-doped ceramic composites with mixed electronic-ionic conductivity are currently attracting attention for their application in electrochemical devices, in particular membranes for solid electrolyte fuel cells with no necessity to use the current collector. In this work, composites of the Y₂O₃-ZrO₂ matrix with graphene-augmented γ-Al₂O₃ nanofibres (GAlN) were spark plasma sintered. The conductivity and electrical stability in cyclic experiments were tested using electrical impedance spectroscopy. Composites with 0.5 and 1 wt.% GAlN show high ionic conductivity of 10⁻²–10⁻³ S/cm at 773 K. Around 3 wt.% GAlN percolation threshold was achieved and a gradual increase of electronic conductivity from ~10⁻² to 4 × 10⁻² S/cm with an activation energy of 0.2 eV was observed from 298 to 773 K while ionic conductivity was maintained at elevated temperatures. The investigation of the evolution of conductivity was performed at 298–973 K. Besides, the composites with 1–3 wt.% of GAlN addition show a remarkable hardness of 14.9–15.8 GPa due to ZrC formation on the surfaces of the materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Morphology, and Properties of Functional Nanomaterials)

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28 pages, 9638 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Kinetics and Adsorption Isotherms of Amine-Functionalized Magnesium Ferrite Produced Using Sol-Gel Method for Treatment of Heavy Metals in Wastewater

by Muhammad Irfan, Fareeda Zaheer, Humaira Hussain, Muhammad Yasin Naz, Shazia Shukrullah, Stanislaw Legutko, Mater H. Mahnashi, Mabkhoot A. Alsaiari, Abdulnour Ali Jazem Ghanim, Saifur Rahman, Omar Alshorman, Fahad Salem Alkahtani, Mohammad K. A. Khan, Izabela Kruszelnicka and Dobrochna Ginter-Kramarczyk

Materials 2022, 15(11), 4009; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15114009 - 05 Jun 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1681

Abstract

This study is focused on the kinetics and adsorption isotherms of amine-functionalized magnesium ferrite (MgFe₂O₄) for treating the heavy metals in wastewater. A sol-gel route was adopted to produce MgFe₂O₄ nanoparticles. The surfaces of the MgFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were functionalized using primary amine (ethanolamine). The surface morphology, phase formation, and functionality of the MgFe₂O₄ nano-adsorbents were studied using the SEM, UV-visible, FTIR, and TGA techniques. The characterized nanoparticles were tested on their ability to adsorb the Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺ ions from the wastewater. The kinetic parameters and adsorption isotherms for the adsorption of the metal ions by the amine-functionalized MgFe₂O₄ were obtained using the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Langmuir, and Freundlich models. The pseudo-second order and Langmuir models best described the adsorption kinetics and isotherms, implying strong chemisorption via the formation of coordinative bonds between the amine groups and metal ions. The Langmuir equation revealed the highest adsorption capacity of 0.7 mmol/g for the amine-functionalized MgFe₂O₄ nano-adsorbents. The adsorption capacity of the nanoadsorbent also changed with the calcination temperature. The MgFe₂O₄ sample, calcined at 500 °C, removed the most of the Pb²⁺ (73%), Cu²⁺ (59%), and Zn²⁺ (62%) ions from the water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Morphology, and Properties of Functional Nanomaterials)

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15 pages, 3390 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nanometer-Sized Boron Loaded Liposomes Containing Fe₃O₄ Magnetic Nanoparticles and Tributyl Borate and Anti-Albumin from Bovine Serum Antibody for Thermal Neutron Detection

by Wei Zhang, Kaikai Wang, Xiaodan Hu, Xiaohong Zhang, Shuquan Chang and Haiqian Zhang

Materials 2021, 14(11), 3040; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14113040 - 03 Jun 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2440

Abstract

A shortage in the supply of ³He used for thermal neutron detector makes researchers to find ³He alternatives for developing new neutron detectors. Here, we prepared a neutron-sensitive composite liposome with tributyl borate and encapsulating with Fe₃O₄@oleic acid nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@OA NPs), methylene blue (MB), or anti-albumin from bovine serum (anti-BSA). The tributyl borate compound was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). In addition, the morphology, element compositions, and magnetic properties of the composite liposome were investigated with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), respectively. The results indicated that a typical ellipsoidal magnetic liposome structure was obtained, and the lengths of the minor axis and major axis were 49 ± 1 nm and 87 ± 3 nm, respectively. Under thermal neutron irradiation, the structure of composite liposome was destroyed, and encapsulated reporter molecules were released, which was detected by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology. The response of this sensor based on a destructive assay shows a good correlation with neutron doses. Besides, the sensor has a neutron to gamma-ray rejection ratio of 1568 at a thermal neutron flux rate of 135.6 n/cm²·s, which makes it a promising alternative to ³He. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Morphology, and Properties of Functional Nanomaterials)

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11 pages, 4432 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Situ Laser-Induced Fabrication of a Ruthenium-Based Microelectrode for Non-Enzymatic Dopamine Sensing

by Maxim S. Panov, Anastasiia E. Grishankina, Daniil D. Stupin, Alexey I. Lihachev, Vladimir N. Mironov, Daniil M. Strashkov, Evgeniia M. Khairullina, Ilya I. Tumkin and Mikhail N. Ryazantsev

Materials 2020, 13(23), 5385; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13235385 - 27 Nov 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 1896

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a fast and simple approach for the fabrication of the electrocatalytically active ruthenium-containing microstructures using a laser-induced metal deposition technique. The results of scanning electron microscopy and electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) demonstrate that the fabricated ruthenium-based microelectrode had a highly developed surface composed of 10 μm pores and 10 nm zigzag cracks. The fabricated material exhibited excellent electrochemical properties toward non-enzymatic dopamine sensing, including high sensitivity (858.5 and 509.1 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻²), a low detection limit (0.13 and 0.15 μM), as well as good selectivity and stability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Morphology, and Properties of Functional Nanomaterials)

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10 pages, 2354 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Temperature on the Morphology and Optical Properties of Spark Discharge Germanium Nanoparticles

by Anna Lizunova, Anastasia Mazharenko, Bulat Masnaviev, Egor Khramov, Alexey Efimov, Andrei Ramanenka, Ivan Shuklov and Viktor Ivanov

Materials 2020, 13(19), 4431; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13194431 - 05 Oct 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2497

Abstract

We report the spark discharge synthesis of aerosol germanium nanoparticles followed by sintering in a tube furnace at different temperatures varying from 25 to 800 °C. The size, structure, chemical composition and optical properties were studied. We have demonstrated a melting mechanism of nanoparticles agglomerates, the growth of the mean primary particle size from 7 to 51 nm and the reduction of the size of agglomerates with a temperature increase. According to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) data, primary nanoparticles sintered at temperatures from 25 to 475 °C basically have a structure of Ge crystals embedded in a GeOx amorphous matrix, as well as visible photoluminescence (PL) with the maximum at 550 nm. Pure germanium nanoparticles are prepared at temperatures above 625 °C and distinguished by their absence of visible PL. The shape of the experimental UV-vis-NIR extinction spectra significantly depends on the size distribution of the germanium crystals. This fact was confirmed by simulations according to Mie theory for obtained ensembles of germanium nanoparticles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Morphology, and Properties of Functional Nanomaterials)

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12 pages, 3429 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gd³⁺-Doping Effect on Upconversion Emission of NaYF₄: Yb³⁺, Er³⁺/Tm³⁺ Microparticles

by Aleksandra A. Vidyakina, Ilya E. Kolesnikov, Nikita A. Bogachev, Mikhail Y. Skripkin, Ilya I. Tumkin, Erkki Lähderanta and Andrey S. Mereshchenko

Materials 2020, 13(15), 3397; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13153397 - 31 Jul 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3176

Abstract

β-NaYF₄ microcrystals co-doped with Yb³⁺, Er³⁺/Tm³⁺, and Gd³⁺ ions were synthesized via a hydrothermal method using rare-earth chlorides as the precursors. The SEM and XRD data show that the doped β-NaYF₄ form uniform hexagonal prisms with an approximate size of 600–800 nm. The partial substitution of Y by Gd results in size reduction of microcrystals. Upconversion luminescence spectra of microcrystals upon 980 nm excitation contain characteristic intra-configurational ff bands of Er³⁺/Tm³⁺ ions. An addition of Gd³⁺ ions leads to a significant enhancement of upconversion luminescence intensity with maxima at 5 mol % of dopant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Morphology, and Properties of Functional Nanomaterials)

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16 pages, 3675 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ultra-Highly Efficient Removal of Methylene Blue Based on Graphene Oxide/TiO₂/Bentonite Sponge

by Yuan Liu, Luyan Wang, Ni Xue, Pengxiang Wang, Meishan Pei and Wenjuan Guo

Materials 2020, 13(4), 824; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13040824 - 11 Feb 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2579

Abstract

An ultra-highly efficient Graphene Oxide/TiO₂/Bentonite (GO/TiO₂/Bent) sponge was synthesized using an in situ hydrothermal method. GO/TiO₂/Bent sponge with a GO mass concentration of 10% exhibited the highest treatment efficiency of methylene blue (MB), combining adsorption and photocatalytic degradation, and achieved a maximum removal efficiency of 100% within about 70 min. To further prove the ultra-high removal capacity of the sponge, the concentration of MB in water increased to ten times the original concentration. At so high a MB concentration, the removal rate was still as high as 80% in 90 min. The photocatalytic mechanism of GO/TiO₂/Bent sponge was discussed through XPS, PL and radicals quenching experiments. Here Bent can immobilize TiO₂ and react with a photo-generated hole to increase the amount of hydroxyl radical; effectively enhancing the degradation of MB.GO sponge enlarges the sensitivity range of TiO₂ to visible light by increasing the charge separation of TiO₂ and reducing the recombination of photo-generated electron–hole pairs. Additionally, GO sponge with an interconnected porous structure provides an effective platform to immobilize TiO₂/bent and makes them be easily recovered. The as-prepared sponge develops a simple and cost-effective strategy to realize the ultra-highly efficient treatment of dyes in wastewater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Morphology, and Properties of Functional Nanomaterials)

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