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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 April 2023) | Viewed by 15082

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Prof. Dr. Haichang Zhang

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School of Polymer Science and Engineering, Qingdao University of Science & Technology, Qingdao 266042, China
Interests: nanocomposite materials and their applications; nanoenergy; organic field-effect transistors; perovskite solar cells; organic synthesis; coating
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Dr. Maning Liu

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Chemistry and Advanced Materials Group, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
Interests: nanoenergy; perovskite solar cells; conjugated materials; organic solar cells; organic synthesis
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Dr. Zhifeng Deng

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School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong 723001, China
Interests: organic-field effect transistors; solar cells; organic synthesis; coating
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Prof. Dr. Daohai Zhang

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School of Chemical Engineering, Guizhou Minzhu University, Guiyang 550025, China
Interests: the design and development of high performance composites; plastics; polymer chemistry
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the past few decades, extensive research efforts have been focused on developing novel nanomaterials for use in various applications, such as electronics, detection of nanodevices, photovoltaics, and so on. Nanomaterials have increasingly received attention in the academic and industry society, since they can obtain advanced properties through controlling the size of the materials. Thus, the development of nanomaterials is always an interesting and challenging research topic.

In obtaining high-performance nanomaterials, the materials design concept plays a key role, since this can guide the synthesis of novel and useful materials. In addition, preparation techniques for nanomaterials are also crucial. Thus, designing novel nanomaterials and investigating the relationship between structures as well as the size and properties of materials are important for progress in nanomaterials. Nevertheless, it is a challenging process to develop nanomaterials and determine the maximum potential of their properties for use in industry applications. Therefore, in this Special Issue, we welcome original research and review articles which focus on the development of advanced nanomaterials and their applications.

Prof. Dr. Haichang Zhang
Dr. Maning Liu
Dr. Zhifeng Deng
Prof. Dr. Daohai Zhang
Guest Editors

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

nanomaterial preparation technology and properties
nanomaterial self-assembly technology
micro-/nanomanufacturing technology
characterization of nanomaterials and detection of nanodevices
application of micro-/nanodevices and systems
nanoenergetic material technology
micro- and nanotheranostic systems for preclinical studies

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

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4 pages, 210 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Editorial: New Advances in Nanomaterials

by Cheng Wang, Xiu Yu, Maning Liu, Zhifeng Deng, Daohai Zhang and Haichang Zhang

Materials 2023, 16(9), 3535; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16093535 - 05 May 2023

Viewed by 868

Abstract

In the past few years, people have been committed to a variety of properties and functional materials, among which are nanomaterials, which have been gradually developed in-depth [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Nanomaterials)

Research

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11 pages, 3967 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Preparation of Hydrogel Composites Using a Sustainable Approach for In Situ Silver Nanoparticles Formation

by Laura Chronopoulou, Roya Binaymotlagh, Sara Cerra, Farid Hajareh Haghighi, Enea Gino Di Domenico, Francesca Sivori, Ilaria Fratoddi, Silvano Mignardi and Cleofe Palocci

Materials 2023, 16(6), 2134; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16062134 - 07 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1454

Abstract

The recognized antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) characterize them as attractive nanomaterials for developing new bioactive materials less prone to the development of antibiotic resistance. In this work, we developed new composites based on self-assembling Fmoc-Phe3 peptide hydrogels impregnated with in situ prepared AgNPs. Different methodologies, from traditional to innovative and eco-sustainable, were compared. The obtained composites were characterized from a hydrodynamic, structural, and morphological point of view, using different techniques such as DLS, SEM, and rheological measurements to evaluate how the choice of the reducing agent determines the characteristics of AgNPs and how their presence within the hydrogel affects their structure and properties. Moreover, the antibacterial properties of these composites were tested against S. aureus, a major human pathogen responsible for a wide range of clinical infections. Results demonstrated that the hydrogel composites containing AgNPs (hgel@AgNPs) could represent promising biomaterials for treating S. aureus-related infections. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Nanomaterials)

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20 pages, 4378 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adsorptive Removal of Rhodamine B Dye Using Carbon Graphite/CNT Composites as Adsorbents: Kinetics, Isotherms and Thermodynamic Study

by Sabrine Zghal, Ilyes Jedidi, Marc Cretin, Sophie Cerneaux and Makki Abdelmouleh

Materials 2023, 16(3), 1015; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16031015 - 22 Jan 2023

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 2107

Abstract

The study of the adsorption efficiency of new carbon/CNT composites was undertaken to remove a cationic dye, Rhodamine B (RhB), from dye-contaminated wastewater. Indeed, we investigated the effect of different experimental parameters such as time, initial concentration of dye and temperature on the adsorption of RhB by the carbon composites (KS44-0 and KS44-20). The results showed that the adsorption uptake increased with the initial concentration and solution temperature while maintaining a relatively constant pH. The presence of the carbon nanotubes provided more active sites for dye removal and improved the adsorption behavior of Rhodamine B dye. The analysis of the experimental data was conducted using model equations, such as Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms. As regards the Freundlich isotherm model, it was the best fit for the equilibrium data obtained from the experiments. The applicability of the pseudo-second-order equation could be explained assuming that the overall adsorption rate is limited by the rate of adsorbate transport that occurs on the pore surfaces of adsorbents. Furthermore, the intraparticle diffusion and Bangham models were used to investigate the diffusion mechanism of RhB absorption onto carbon composites. They showed that multiple adsorption stages occurred simultaneously via pore surface diffusion. Concerning the thermodynamic parameters (∆G°, ∆H°, and ∆S°), they were calculated and explained in the mean of the chemical structure of the adsorbate. Negative standard Gibbs free energy change values (ΔG°_ads) at all temperatures suggested that the adsorption process was spontaneous, and the positive values of the standard enthalpy change of adsorption (∆H°_ads) revealed the reaction to be endothermic. The values of standard enthalpy (ΔH°_ads) and activation energy (E_a) indicated that the adsorption process corresponds to physical sorption. The mechanisms for the removal of Rhodamine B dye from wastewater using carbon composite were predicted. RhB is a planar molecule that is readily adsorbed, in which adsorbed molecules are bound by hydrophobic or other weak interactions due to the π-π interactions between the dyes’ aromatic backbones and the hexagonal skeleton of graphite and carbon nanotubes. Thus, the graphite carbon/carbon nanotube composite is believed to play a major role in organic pollutant reduction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Nanomaterials)

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19 pages, 2826 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermoelectric Response Enhanced by Surface/Edge States in Physical Nanogaps

by Víctor Manuel García-Suárez

Materials 2023, 16(2), 660; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16020660 - 10 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 998

Abstract

Current solid-state thermoelectric converters have poor performance, which typically renders them useless for practical applications. This problem is evidenced by the small figures of merit of typical thermoelectric materials, which tend to be much smaller than 1. Increasing this parameter is then key for the development of functional devices in technologically viable applications that can work optimally. We propose here a feasible and effective design of new thermoelectric systems based on physical gaps in nanoscale junctions. We show that, depending on the type of features, i.e., the character of surface/edge states, on both sides of the gap, it is possible to achieve high figures of merit. In particular, we show that, for configurations that have localized states at the surfaces/edges, which translate into sharp resonances in the transmission, it is possible to achieve large Seebeck coefficients and figures of merit by carefully tuning their energy and their coupling to other states. We calculate the thermoelectric coefficients as a function of different parameters and find non-obvious behaviors, such as the existence of a certain coupling between the localized and bulk states for which these quantities have a maximum. The highest Seebeck coefficients and figures of merit are achieved for symmetric junctions, which have the same coupling between the localized state and the bulk states on both sides of the gap. The features and trends of the thermoelectric properties and their changes with various parameters that we find here can be applied not only to systems with nanogaps but also to many other nanoscale junctions, such as those that have surface states or states localized near the contacts between the nanoscale object and the electrodes. The model presented here can, therefore, be used to characterize and predict the thermoelectric properties of many different nanoscale junctions and can also serve as a guide for studying other systems. These results pave the way for the design and fabrication of stable next-generation thermoelectric devices with robust features and improved performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Nanomaterials)

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13 pages, 5507 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Application of Modified Sn-Based Solder in Cable Intermediate Joints

by Wenbin Zhang, Ruikang Luo, Xuehua Wu, Chungang Xu and Chunguang Suo

Materials 2022, 15(23), 8385; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15238385 - 25 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1097

Abstract

With the increasing use of underground cables, the quantity and quality of intermediate joints demanded are also increasing. The quality of the traditional crimping intermediate joint is easily affected by the actual process of the operator, which may lead to the heating of the crimping part of the wire core, affecting the insulation performance of the cable, and finally causing the joint to break. However, aluminothermic reactive technology has some problems, such as a high welding temperature and an uncontrollable reaction. In order to solve these problems, according to the brazing principle and microalloying method, the optimal content of In in Sn-1.5Cu-based solder was explored, and then the connection of the middle joint of a 10 kV cable was completed using a connecting die and electrical connection process. The contact resistance and tensile strength of the joint were tested to verify the feasibility of this method. The results show that the maximum conductivity of the solder with 3.8% and 5% In content can reach 3.236 × 10⁶ S/m, and the highest wettability is 93.6%. Finally, the minimum contact resistance of the intermediate joint is 7.05 μΩ, which is 43% lower than that of the aluminothermic welded joint, and the tensile strength is close to that of the welded joint, with a maximum of 7174 N. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Nanomaterials)

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14 pages, 4083 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Theoretical Investigation of Forming Process of Aluminum Alloy Rail Vehicle Side Window

by Zhengwei Gu, Hongru Chen, Lingling Yi, Ziming Tang, Meng Wang and Ge Yu

Materials 2022, 15(23), 8290; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15238290 - 22 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1187

Abstract

With the vigorous development of rail transit trains around the world and the emergence of global environmental pollution and energy shortages, the world has an urgent need for manufacturing technology for lightweight aluminum alloy rail transit train components. This paper mainly studied the superplastic forming law of 5083Al for rail transit. Through the high-temperature tensile test and blowing forming experiments, the superplastic properties of 5083Al were determined. Based on this, the die design, finite element simulation, and forming experiment of the rail vehicle side window were carried out. In order to study the superplastic deformation behavior of industrial 5083Al under complex stress conditions, the influence of the depth, area ratio, and friction coefficient of the pre-forming die on the part thickness distribution is simulated. The side window is made of a high-strength 5083Al sheet in the form of bending at both ends to ensure the strength of the connection between the overall side window and the side wall skeleton. The variation law of the side wall forming height of 5083Al box-shaped parts was studied. The efficient manufacture of parts that meet quality standards was made possible by the optimization of the pressure profile. The microstructure changes of the material after superplastic forming were studied by Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) and Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Nanomaterials)

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13 pages, 8194 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Effect of TiO₂ Additives on the Stabilization of h-YbFeO₃ and Promotion of Photo-Fenton Activity of o-YbFeO₃/h-YbFeO₃/r-TiO₂ Nanocomposites

by Sofia Tikhanova, Anna Seroglazova, Maria Chebanenko, Vladimir Nevedomskiy and Vadim Popkov

Materials 2022, 15(22), 8273; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15228273 - 21 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1453

Abstract

Nanostructured hexagonal rare-earth orthoferrites (h-RfeO₃, R = Sc, Y, Tb-Lu) are well known as a highly effective base for visible-light-driven heterojunction photocatalysts. However, their application is limited by metastability, leading to difficulties in synthesis due to the irreversible transformation to a stable orthorhombic structure. In this work, we report on a simple route to the stabilization of h-YbFeO₃ nanocrystals by the synthesis of multiphase nanocomposites with titania additives. The new I-type heterojunction nanocomposites of o-YbFeO₃/h-YbFeO₃/r-TiO₂ were obtained by the glycine–nitrate solution combustion method with subsequent heat treatment of the products. An increase in the mole fraction of the h-YbFeO₃ phase in nanocomposites was found with the titanium addition, indicating its stabilizing effect via limiting mass transfer over heat treatment. The complex physicochemical analysis shows multiple contacts of individual nanocrystals of o-YbFeO₃ (44.4–50.6 nm), h-YbFeO₃ (7.5–17.6 nm), and rutile r-TiO₂ (~5 nm), confirming the presence of the heterojunction structure in the obtained nanocomposite. The photocatalytic activity of h-YbFeO₃/o-YbFeO₃/r-TiO₂ nanocomposites was evaluated by the photo-Fenton degradation of the methyl violet under visible light (λ ≥ 400 nm). It was demonstrated that the addition of 5 mol.% of TiO₂ stabilizes h-YbFeO₃, which allowed us to achieve a 41.5 mol% fraction, followed by a three-time increase in the photodecomposition rate constant up to 0.0160 min⁻¹. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Nanomaterials)

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15 pages, 4100 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Compression Properties and Fabrication of Closed-Cell Metal Matrix Syntactic Foams Al₂O_3hs/AZ91D

by Changyun Li, Erkuo Yang, Ling Tang, Yang Li and Lei Xu

Materials 2022, 15(19), 6873; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15196873 - 03 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1270

Abstract

Closed-cell metal syntactic foam is a new material consisting of hollow spheres embedded in metal matrix syntactic foams. These foams have good physical and mechanical properties and are increasingly used worldwide in industrial and high-tech fields. Magnesium matrix syntactic foams containing hollow Al₂O₃ spheres ((Al₂O_3hs)/AZ91D) were successfully fabricated by hot press sintering at different temperatures. The fabrication of Al₂O_3hs/AZ91D and the effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure and properties are reported in this paper. Additionally, sandwiched magnesium matrix syntactic foams were prepared by placing magnesium plates on both sides of the syntactic foam. Some Al₂O_3hs particles became filled with matrix particles during preparation. Thus, the actual density was greater than the theoretically calculated value and increases with increasing sintering temperature. Above 723 K, a brittle phase MgAl₂O₄ formed in Al₂O_3hs/AZ91D. The quasistatic and dynamic compressive strengths of Al₂O_3hs/AZ91D first increased and then decreased with increasing sintering temperature, and the maximums were 162 MPa and 167.87 MPa, respectively. Thus, this paper reports a new strategy for the controlled preparation of metal matrix syntactic foams with predetermined porosity. The results show that this strategy improved the performance of lightweight and high-strength syntactic foam materials and shows potential for further research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Nanomaterials)

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18 pages, 4636 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of CNTs and SiC Whiskers Effect on the Rheology and Mechanical Performance of Metakaolin-Based Geopolymers

by Madeleing Taborda-Barraza, Francine Padilha, Laura Silvestro, Afonso Rangel Garcez de Azevedo and Philippe Jean Paul Gleize

Materials 2022, 15(17), 6099; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15176099 - 02 Sep 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1380

Abstract

Despite geopolymers having emerged as a more sustainable alternative to Portland cement, their rheological properties still need to be thoroughly investigated, aiming at the material’s applicability. Additionally, studies that evaluated the fresh state of geopolymer composites with nanomaterials are scarce. Thus, two metakaolin-based geopolymer systems were reinforced with nanomaterials with a similar geometry: carbon nanotubes (CNT) and silicon carbide whiskers (SCW). The nanomaterials incorporation was assessed by rotational rheometry (conducted up to 110 min), isothermal calorimetry, compressive strength after 7 and 28 days, and the microstructure was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). CNT and SCW incorporation (0.20 wt.%) did not significantly affect the yield stress and viscosity of the R2-group (based on metakaolin type 2), while increasing the rheological parameters up to 56.0% for the R1-group (based on metakaolin type 1). Both additions modified the reaction kinetics. Increments of up to 40.7% were observed in the compressive strength of geopolymer pastes with the incorporation of a SCW content of 0.2 wt.%. XRD and FTIR results suggest similar structural modifications between precursors. Nevertheless, R2 showed substantial transformations while the R1 group exhibited anhydrous material that can react over time. Overall, incorporating CNT and SCW contributed to higher mechanical increments on systems with average mechanical strength (R1) compared to systems with higher potential mechanical performance (R2). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Nanomaterials)

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10 pages, 1107 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthetic Conditions, Physical Properties, and Antibacterial Activities of Silver Nanoparticles with Exopolysaccharides of a Medicinal Fungus

by Xingyun Yang and Jian-Yong Wu

Materials 2022, 15(16), 5620; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15165620 - 16 Aug 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1237

Abstract

Natural polysaccharides are attractive and promising biomacromolecules for the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with a broad spectrum of useful functions. This study aims to evaluate the synthetic conditions and physical properties of Ag NPs using three fractions of exopolysaccharide (EPS), namely EPS-1, EPS-2, and EPS-3, produced by a medicinal fungus known as Cs-HK1, with variations in their chemical composition and molecular weight. Each of the EPS fractions had a unique set of optimal synthetic conditions (reaction time course, temperature, and reagent concentration), resulting in a specific range of Ag NP size distributions. The Ag NPs synthesized with the EPS-1 fraction had the smallest particle size (~160 nm) and the most significant antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli (Gram−) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram+), with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.2 mg/mL on E. coli and 0.075 mg/mL on S. aureus. The results proved the success of the scheme of this green synthesis scheme with all three EPS fractions and the potential antibacterial application of EPS-coated Ag NPs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Nanomaterials)

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17 pages, 4177 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A PCA–EEMD–CNN–Attention–GRU–Encoder–Decoder Accurate Prediction Model for Key Parameters of Seawater Quality in Zhanjiang Bay

by Zaimi Xie, Zhenhua Li, Chunmei Mo and Ji Wang

Materials 2022, 15(15), 5200; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15155200 - 27 Jul 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1385

Abstract

In order to effectively solve the problem of low accuracy of seawater water quality prediction, an optimized water quality parameter prediction model is constructed in this paper. The model first screened the key factors of water quality data with the principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm, then realized the de-noising of the key factors of water quality data with an ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) algorithm, and the data were input into the two-dimensional convolutional neural network (2D-CNN) module to extract features, which were used for training and learning by attention, gated recurrent unit, and an encoder–decoder (attention–GRU–encoder–decoder, attention–GED) integrated module. The trained prediction model was used to predict the content of key parameters of water quality. In this paper, the water quality data of six typical online monitoring stations from 2017 to 2021 were used to verify the proposed model. The experimental results show that, based on short-term series prediction, the root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and decision coefficient (R²) were 0.246, 0.307, and 97.80%, respectively. Based on the long-term series prediction, RMSE, MAPE, and R² were 0.878, 0.594, and 92.23%, respectively, which were all better than the prediction model based on an enhanced clustering algorithm and adam with a radial basis function neural network (ECA–Adam–RBFNN), a prediction model based on a softplus extreme learning machine method with partial least squares and particle swarm optimization (PSO–SELM–PLS), and a wavelet transform-depth Bi–S–SRU (Bi-directional Stacked Simple Recurrent Unit) prediction model. The PCA–EEMD–CNN–attention–GED prediction model not only has high prediction accuracy but can also provide a decision-making basis for the water quality control and management of aquaculture in the waters around Zhanjiang Bay. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Nanomaterials)

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