Nanostructured materials future

So, what s next Of course, research on all fronts will advance, with the approaches in Sect. 4 receiving perhaps the highest attention. The rapid development of nanoscopic and nanostructured materials has specially opened the path to sophisticated sensing ensembles Sousa and Vogtle would not even have dreamed about [228, 229]. However, for many applications, small molecules as reporters are indispensible, simply because of their size and the possibilities of interaction at the molecular level so that their future exploration is also essential. Finally, since technology will advance, new instrumental techniques and possibilities will appear and automatically fuel research on powerful fluorescent reporters. 

The contents of the current volume presents a sampling of more than 150 oral and poster papers delivered at the Symposium on Access in Nanoporous Materials II held in Banff, Alberta on May 25-28, 2000. The selected papers cover the three main themes of the symposium (i) synthesis of mesoporous silicas, framework-modified mesoporous silicas, and surface-modified mesoporous silicas, (ii) synthesis of other nanoporous and nanostructured materials, and (iii) characterization and applications of nanoporous materials. About 70% of the papers are devoted to the synthesis of siliceous mesoporous molecular sieves, their modification, characterization and applications, which represent the current research trend in nanoporous materials. The remaining contributions provide some indications on the future developments in the area of non-siliceous molecular sieves and related materials. Although the present book does not cover all topics in the area of nanoporous materials, it reflects the current trends and advances in this area, which will certainly attract the attention of materials chemists in the 21st Century. 

In the authors opinion the outstanding questions to be examined now and in future work include the following, (i) Can use of an effective n be justified If so, does it provide a useful predictive empirical correction factor (ii) Many environments in which the donor and acceptor reside are complex in structure. These include proteins and nanostructured materials, for example. To what extent can a polarizable continuum model be applied in these situations (iii) Extending such arguments, there can be a... 

Metallofullerenes will also become an important nanostructured material for future nanoscale electronic devices, because the band gaps of endohedral metallofullerenes, for example, can be varied between 1.0 and 0.2 eV depending on the fullerene size, the kind of metal atom(s) as well as the number of metal atoms encapsulated. 

Thin metalhc fihns play an important role in diverse fields of applications, with special emphasis on micro- and nanoelectronics for which the metals Al, Cu, Ag, Au, Ti and W are essential Additional fields of commercial interests are electrodes as well as reflective, corrosion-resistant, oxidation-resistant and abrasion-resistant coatings . Noble metals (periods 5 and 6 of groups 8-11 of the periodic table of the elements) are of special interest due to their manifold application in heterogeneous catalysis. Other metals used in specialized industrial applications or as components of more complex materials such as metal alloys are Ni, Pd, Pt, Ag and Au. For example, FePt-based nanostructured materials are excellent candidates for future high-density magnetic recording media . ... 

Many reviews and feature articles covering different aspects of this field have already appeared and the interested reader is encouraged for further reading to examine [1-5]. This review article will present recent developments in using block copolymers as templates for the synthesis of nanostructured materials. After an outline of the basic concepts of templating and the self-assembly of block copolymers, we will cover the synthesis of nanoparticles and mesoporous structures. At the end strategies for multiple templating and other future developments will be discussed. 

As the rapid development of nanostructured materials continues, this book illustrates the impact of this class of materials on performance improvements of alternative energy devices, particularly those based on electrochemical processes. The authors make a powerful case for nanomaterials and nanotechnology as a way to transform such alternative energy sources into significant contributors to the future global energy mix. 

After all our efforts, membrane research is still challenging and in need of fresh and innovative ideas. It is a highly interdisciphnary field, based on molecular chemistry, polymer physics, interfacial science and the science of random heterogeneous media. Could it be possible that the future lies in ordered nanostructured materials such as, for example, ordered polyelectrolyte brushes In such materials, studying the role of the sidechains (length, separation, controlled flexibility, hydrophobicity) and mechanisms of self-assembly, which will determine proton distribution at the mesoscopic scale, will be central for design and optimization. 

In this context, silicone and fluorinated surfactants, which can impart peculiar properties to mesoporous materials, constitutes a research field that may be exploited to obtain new nanostructured materials for novel applications and many future developments may still arise in this field. The literature on the use of nonhydrocarbon surfactants for the preparation of mesostructured materials remains relatively scarce and many aspects are still unexplored. 

Bertoncello, P., Eorster, R.J. Nanostructured materials for electrochemiluminescence (E(2L)-based detection methods recent advances and future perspectives. Biosens. Bioelectron. 24, 3191-3200 (2009)... 

Abstract The present chapter is focused on describing the intimate link which exists between aerogels and thermal superinsulation. For long, this applied field has been considered as the most pronusing potential market for these nanostructured materials. Most likely this old vision will become reality in the near future. 

Webster TJ (2001) Nanophase ceramics the future orthopedic and dental implant material. In Ying JY (ed) Advances in chemical engineering, Nanostructured materials, vol 27. Academic, San Diego, CA, pp 126-160... 

We can peer into the future with reasonable confidence. We can be confident that we will witness many breakthroughs based on bottom-up approaches in the next decades, leading to nanostructured materials with novel and unique material properties and functionalities, and to increasingly sophisticated nanodevices. While cnrrent indications are that bottom-up nanofabrication methods will not completely replace top-down nanofabrication techniques, in the decades to come we will see more applications originating either from bottom-up techniques alone or from hybrid approaches combining the strengths of bottom-up and top-down methods. 

In this commentary the research developments and future perspectives of XPS characterization of nanostructured materials will be reviewed, with particular attention to surface and interface effects for nanoparticles of different sizes and shapes. Reports on these extremely important topics will be addressed. 

The Science of Nanomaterials is proving to be one of the most attractive and promising fields for technological development in this century. In the scientific literature several terms related to Nanoscience can be found, of which it is worth highlighting nanoparticles, nanocrystals, nanofibers, nanotubes and nano-composites. In fact, all these are related to nanostructured materials, which have well-defined structural features. The physical and chemical properties of materials at the nanometer scale (usually set in the range of 1-100 nm) are of immense interest and increasing importance for future technological applications. Nanostructured materials often exhibit different properties when compared to other materials. 

Finally, the advent of synchrotron-mediated (intense) sources of X-rays has led to dramatic improvements in the study of dynamics and transient processes such as crystallization in polymer blends. Moreover, the capability of measuring nanoscale dimensions via small-angle scattering will have great potential for future investigations of nanostructured materials and devices. 

---