Bio-Inspired Nanocomposites: From Synthesis Toward Potential Applications

2001 ◽  
Vol 711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tewodros Asefa ◽  
Neil Coombs ◽  
Hiltrud Grondey ◽  
Mietek Jaroniec ◽  
Michal Kruk ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIn recent years, the extraordinary properties of bio-inspired nanocomposites have stimulated great interest in the development of bottom-up synthetic approaches to organic-inorganic hybrid materials in which molecular scale control is exerted over the interface between the organic and inorganic moieties. These developments have led to advanced materials with novel properties and potential use in catalysis, sensing, separations and environmental remediation. Periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) materials are an entirely new class of nanocomposites with molecularly integrated organic/inorganic networks, high surface areas and pore volumes, and well ordered and uniform size pores and channels. We recently have extended the approach to include novel PMO materials incorporating chiral and heteroatom-containing organic functional groups inside the inorganic framework that may be useful in asymmetric catalysis, enantiomeric separations and heavy metal remediation.

2001 ◽  
Vol 707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tewodros Asefa ◽  
Neil Coombs ◽  
Hiltrud Grondey ◽  
Mietek Jaroniec ◽  
Michal Kruk ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIn recent years, the extraordinary properties of bio-inspired nanocomposites have stimulated great interest in the development of bottom-up synthetic approaches to organic-inorganic hybrid materials in which molecular scale control is exerted over the interface between the organic and inorganic moieties. These developments have led to advanced materials with novel properties and potential use in catalysis, sensing, separations and environmental remediation. Periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) materials are an entirely new class of nanocomposites with molecularly integrated organic/inorganic networks, high surface areas and pore volumes, and well ordered and uniform size pores and channels. We recently have extended the approach to include novel PMO materials incorporating chiral and heteroatom-containing organic functional groups inside the inorganic framework that may be useful in asymmetric catalysis, enantiomeric separations and heavy metal remediation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyung-Ju Kim ◽  
Hee-Chul Yang ◽  
Dong-Yong Chung ◽  
In-Hwan Yang ◽  
Yun Jung Choi ◽  
...  

Mesoporous silica molecular sieves are emerging candidates for a number of potential applications involving adsorption and molecular transport due to their large surface areas, high pore volumes, and tunable pore sizes. Recently, several research groups have investigated the potential of functionalized mesoporous silica molecular sieves as advanced materials in separation devices, such as membranes. In particular, mesoporous silica with a two- or three-dimensional pore structure is one of the most promising types of molecular sieve materials for gas separation membranes. However, several important challenges must first be addressed regarding the successful fabrication of mesoporous silica membranes. First, a novel, high throughput process for the fabrication of continuous and defect-free mesoporous silica membranes is required. Second, functionalization of mesopores on membranes is desirable in order to impart selective properties. Finally, the separation characteristics and performance of functionalized mesoporous silica membranes must be further investigated. Herein, the synthesis, characterization, and applications of mesoporous silica membranes and functionalized mesoporous silica membranes are reviewed with a focus on CO2separation.


2010 ◽  
Vol 163 ◽  
pp. 55-58
Author(s):  
M. Zienkiewicz ◽  
Stanislaw Pikus ◽  
E. Olszewska ◽  
M. Barczak

Periodic mesoporous organosilica materials (PMOs) are the new class of porous and hybrid organic-inorganic materials. They represent exceptional and functional bridged polysilsesquioxanes prepared by sol-gel processing of monomers using triblock copolymers or ionic surfactants as the structure directing agents. By changing the monomer type, various organic functional groups may be incorporated into the framework of PMO materials. Moreover it is possible to introduce heteroatoms in the structure of mesoporous materials via isomorphous substitution of the silicon atoms. In the present study, we report the preparation and characterization of the series of zirconium, titanium and mixture of them, doped mesoporous silica. The PMOs have been synthesized by the hydrolysis and the condensation of bridged silsesquioxane precursors containing two different organic bridging groups ((R’)3Si-CH2-CH2-Si(R’)3, R’ - methoxy or ethoxy). The influence of temperature of synthesis on the structure of PMOs was examined. PMO-Zr and PMO-Zr-Ti were synthesized by employing a zirconyl chloride octahydrate (ZrOCl2•8H2O), titanium isopropoxide, NaCl, bis(trimethoxysilyl)ethane (BTME) as a silica source and triblock copolymer P123 as the structure directing agent while PMO-Ti was prepared using 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTESE), titanium isopropoxide, NaOH and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr) as a structure directing agent. The resulting materials exhibited well-ordered two-dimensional hexagonal space group p6mm, high surface areas in the range of 700-1100 m2/g. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis indicated the successful incorporation of heteroatoms into hybrid PMOs and the IR spectra confirmed satisfactory removal of the surfactants.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (45) ◽  
pp. 5807-5818
Author(s):  
Nasrullah Shah ◽  
Dong Lin

Aerogels are a class of advanced materials having the lowest density with extraordinary characteristics of high surface area, extreme porosity, lowest thermal conductivity, and tunable surface chemistry. Aerogels of silica, alumina, carbon, metals, metal oxides, clay, cellulose, gelatin, chitosan, synthetic polymers and many others have attracted much interest for different potential applications. Several attempts have been made to improve the characteristics and performance efficiency of the aerogels. One of those is to fabricate composite aerogels to be used in several applications. In designing composite aerogels for biomedical and environmental purposes, the nature of the ingredient materials along with their net efficiency and cost are important to be considered. In this regard, various compositions of composite aerogels have been explored by researchers to make them suitable for use in these applications. In the present study, an attempt has been made to briefly summarize various studies of composite aerogels for biomedical and environmental applications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-409
Author(s):  
Baizhen Gao ◽  
Rushant Sabnis ◽  
Tommaso Costantini ◽  
Robert Jinkerson ◽  
Qing Sun

Microbial communities drive diverse processes that impact nearly everything on this planet, from global biogeochemical cycles to human health. Harnessing the power of these microorganisms could provide solutions to many of the challenges that face society. However, naturally occurring microbial communities are not optimized for anthropogenic use. An emerging area of research is focusing on engineering synthetic microbial communities to carry out predefined functions. Microbial community engineers are applying design principles like top-down and bottom-up approaches to create synthetic microbial communities having a myriad of real-life applications in health care, disease prevention, and environmental remediation. Multiple genetic engineering tools and delivery approaches can be used to ‘knock-in' new gene functions into microbial communities. A systematic study of the microbial interactions, community assembling principles, and engineering tools are necessary for us to understand the microbial community and to better utilize them. Continued analysis and effort are required to further the current and potential applications of synthetic microbial communities.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Scheurle ◽  
Andre Mähringer ◽  
Andreas Jakowetz ◽  
Pouya Hosseini ◽  
Alexander Richter ◽  
...  

Recently, a small group of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has been discovered featuring substantial charge transport properties and electrical conductivity, hence promising to broaden the scope of potential MOF applications in fields such as batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors. In combination with light emission, electroactive MOFs are intriguing candidates for chemical sensing and optoelectronic applications. Here, we incorporated anthracene-based building blocks into the MOF-74 topology with five different divalent metal ions, that is, Zn2+, Mg2+, Ni2+, Co2+ and Mn2+, resulting in a series of highly crystalline MOFs, coined ANMOF-74(M). This series of MOFs features substantial photoluminescence, with ANMOF-74(Zn) emitting across the whole visible spectrum. The materials moreover combine this photoluminescence with high surface areas and electrical conductivity. Compared to the original MOF-74 materials constructed from 2,5-dihydroxy terephthalic acid and the same metal ions Zn2+, Mg2+, Ni2+, Co2+ and Mn2+, we observed a conductivity enhancement of up to six orders of magnitude. Our results point towards the importance of building block design and the careful choice of the embedded MOF topology for obtaining materials with desired properties such as photoluminescence and electrical conductivity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kannappan Panchamoorthy Gopinath ◽  
Malolan Rajagopal ◽  
Abhishek Krishnan ◽  
Shweta Kolathur Sreerama

Background: Depletion and contamination of environmental resources such as water, air and soil caused by human activities is an increasingly important challenge faced around the world. The consequences of environmental pollution are felt acutely by all living beings, both on a short and long-term basis, thereby making methods of remediation of environmental pollution an urgent requirement. Objectives: The objective of this review is to dissect the complications caused by environmental degradation, highlight advancements in the field of nanotechnology and to scrutinize its applications in environmental remediation. Furthermore, the review aims to concisely explain the merits and drawbacks of nanotechnology compared to existing methods. Conclusion: The current and potential applications of nanomaterials and nanocomposites in the prevention, control and reduction of air, water and soil pollution and the mechanisms involved have been elucidated, as have their various merits and demerits. The applications of nanotechnology in the fields of carbon capture and agriculture have also received attention in this review.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 548
Author(s):  
Tuan Thanh Dang ◽  
Hue Minh Thi Nguyen ◽  
Hien Nguyen ◽  
Tran Ngoc Dung ◽  
Minh Tho Nguyen ◽  
...  

Benzosiloles and their π-extended derivatives are present in many important advanced materials due to their excellent physical properties. Especially, they have found many potential applications in the development of novel electronic materials such as OLEDs, semiconductors and solar cells. In this review, we have summarized several main approaches to construct (di)benzosilole derivatives and (benzo)siloles fused to aromatic five- and six-membered heterocycles.


Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 328
Author(s):  
Manh-Tuan Vu ◽  
Gloria M. Monsalve-Bravo ◽  
Rijia Lin ◽  
Mengran Li ◽  
Suresh K. Bhatia ◽  
...  

Nanodiamonds (ND) have recently emerged as excellent candidates for various applications including membrane technology due to their nanoscale size, non-toxic nature, excellent mechanical and thermal properties, high surface areas and tuneable surface structures with functional groups. However, their non-porous structure and strong tendency to aggregate are hindering their potential in gas separation membrane applications. To overcome those issues, this study proposes an efficient approach by decorating the ND surface with polyethyleneimine (PEI) before embedding it into the polymer matrix to fabricate MMMs for CO2/N2 separation. Acting as both interfacial binder and gas carrier agent, the PEI layer enhances the polymer/filler interfacial interaction, minimising the agglomeration of ND in the polymer matrix, which is evidenced by the focus ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). The incorporation of PEI into the membrane matrix effectively improves the CO2/N2 selectivity compared to the pristine polymer membranes. The improvement in CO2/N2 selectivity is also modelled by calculating the interfacial permeabilities with the Felske model using the gas permeabilities in the MMM. This study proposes a simple and effective modification method to address both the interface and gas selectivity in the application of nanoscale and non-porous fillers in gas separation membranes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 5781
Author(s):  
Janarthanan Supramaniam ◽  
Darren Yi Sern Low ◽  
See Kiat Wong ◽  
Loh Teng Hern Tan ◽  
Bey Fen Leo ◽  
...  

Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) isolated from plant biomass have attracted considerable interests in polymer engineering. The limitations associated with CNF-based nanocomposites are often linked to the time-consuming preparation methods and lack of desired surface functionalities. Herein, we demonstrate the feasibility of preparing a multifunctional CNF-zinc oxide (CNF-ZnO) nanocomposite with dual antibacterial and reinforcing properties via a facile and efficient ultrasound route. We characterized and examined the antibacterial and mechanical reinforcement performances of our ultrasonically induced nanocomposite. Based on our electron microscopy analyses, the ZnO deposited onto the nanofibrous network had a flake-like morphology with particle sizes ranging between 21 to 34 nm. pH levels between 8–10 led to the formation of ultrafine ZnO particles with a uniform size distribution. The resultant CNF-ZnO composite showed improved thermal stability compared to pure CNF. The composite showed potent inhibitory activities against Gram-positive (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)) and Gram-negative Salmonella typhi (S. typhi) bacteria. A CNF-ZnO-reinforced natural rubber (NR/CNF-ZnO) composite film, which was produced via latex mixing and casting methods, exhibited up to 42% improvement in tensile strength compared with the neat NR. The findings of this study suggest that ultrasonically-synthesized palm CNF-ZnO nanocomposites could find potential applications in the biomedical field and in the development of high strength rubber composites.


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