Colloidal nanostructured materials

U. Kreibig, H. Botmematm, J. Hormes, Nanostructured materials, micelles and colloids, in H. S. Nalwa (ed.) Handbook of Surfaces and Interfaces of Materials, Vol. 3, Academic Press, San Diego, 2001, 1. 

Zhu, J. and Ziich, M. (2009) Nanostructured materials for photocatalytic hydrogen production. Current Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science, 14 (4), 260-269. 

Equation 3.1 and Equation 3.2) (including the mean particle sizes obtained) (Adapted from Bonnemann, H. and Brijoux, W., in Surfactant-Stabilized Nanosized Colloidal Metals and Alloys as Catalyst Precursors/Advanced Catalysts and Nanostructured Materials, Moser, W., Ed., Academic Press, San Diego, 1996, pp. 165-196, Chap. 7. With permission from Elsevier Science.)... 

Wang, Y. et al.. Interface chemistry of nanostructured materials Ion adsorption on mesoporous alumina, 7. Colloid Interf. Sci., 254, 23. 2002. 

The study of naked transition metal clusters forms the basis and reference for understanding the properties of the corresponding ligated and supported species. Most of the experimental evidence so far available deals with ligand-stabilized or supported clusters which are the species commonly encountered in colloidal solutions, catalytic materials, and cluster based nanostructured materials. Thus, systematic theoretical work on free unperturbed transition metal clusters is especially needed to provide fundamental information, since these clusters are not so easily accessible experimentally. 

The outline of the paper is therefore as follows In section 1 we introduce the main interaction forces acting on colloidal particles, as well as the concept of nanostructured materials, in the form of 2D and 3D assemblies. We discuss the main stabilization techniques employed in the synthesis of nanoparticles in solution. Then we outline in section 2 the procedures involved in silica coating, and discuss its advantages as a general stabilization technique. Section 3 deals with the special properties of both metal and semiconductor nanoparticles, summarizing their... 

Nanostructured materials are assemblies of nanosized units which display characteristic properties at a macroscopic scale. The size range of such units lies within the colloidal range, so that the properties of the assemblies can be tuned by varying their colloidal properties, mainly particle size, surface properties, interparticle interactions, and interparticle distance. 

Self-assembled nanostructures of biopolymers play an important role in nature. For example, extracellular branched polysaccharides decorate bacterial surfaces and therewith mediate cell adhesion [11], aggrecans (protein-polysaccharide complexes) control mechanical stresses in synovial joints [12], whereas neurofilaments (neuron-specific protein assemblies) support the elongated cell shape and participate in the maintenance of the axonal caliber [13]. It is believed that these biological functions rest on the ability of bioassemblies to provide adequate responses to variations in the local environment. Therefore, a better understanding of the physical mechanisms that govern conformational rearrangements in (bio)nanostructures, is of key importance, not only for colloid and material sciences, but also for cell biology. 

J.A. Fendler, F.C. Meldrum, The colloid chemical approach to nanostructured materials, Adv. Mater. 199S, 7, 607-632... 

It is not only liquid-liquid colloids that are of interest to the supramolecular scientist. All types of colloidal organizations have now been incorporated into the repertoire of supramolecular chemistry. For example, solid-liquid and solid-gas colloids have been of great interest in the development of nanostructured materials. For example, metal nanoparticles normally grow uncontrollably into bnik metal in order to minimize their surface area—but if a suitable... 

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