Applications of Symmetric and Asymmetric Nanosilica

The thmst behind the advancement of any field depends on the appUcation potential or real benefits, much more so than the materials themselves, and the same rule appUes to nanosiUca-whether symmetric or asymmetric. In the following sections we will survey the appUcations of both symmetric and asymmetric nanosilica. It will become clear that asymmetric nanosiUca, at present, have far fewer applications than their symmetric counterparts, although several excellent obvious 

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I 2 Synthesis of Symmetric and Asymmetric Nanosilica Table 2.3 Applications of symmetric and asymmetric nanosilica. 

In this chapter we review the current state of research on symmetric and asymmetric silica nanomaterials, or nanosUica, in terms of their synthesis, characterizahon and applications. Both, catalyticaUy and noncatalytically grown nanosilica are discussed, and several types of application for these nanomaterials are described. For asymmetric nanosihca, the focus is on helical nanosilica such as silica nanocoils and other heh-cal nano silica, whereas for symmetric silica nanomaterials the discussion covers more general forms of nanosilica, including nanoparticles, mesoporous nanomaterials and sihca nanotubes. 

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