Emerging Advanced Nanomaterials and their Applications

Advanced nanomaterials are at the core of every new major breakthrough and technological advancement in the past couple of decades. These emerging and advanced nanomaterials have captivated the imagination of scientists and researchers working at all the major disciplines of science and technology and have broken the silos of individual disciplines to form cross disciplinary teams doing multidisciplinary research for solving global challenges facing mankind. Thus, nanomaterials have perforated through various fundamental scientific challenges such as quantum confinement and cutting edge applications from planar and flexible displays to photocatalysis, energy storage and conversion technologies. The International Conference on Emerging and Advanced Nanomaterials (ICEAN), a biannual conference organized by the Global Innovative Center for Advanced Nanomaterials (GICAN) at The University of Newcastle, was born out of this unique contribution of nanomaterials and the need for bringing the research community in advanced nanomaterials to a single platform for the exchange of big and bold ideas creating impact from the smallest physical structures. This Special Issue consists of impactful contributions from the plenary, keynote and invited talks at the ICEAN 2018 that was held at The University of Newcastle from 30th October to 2nd November. More than 600 researchers from around the world participated in this conference and shared their work including more than 10 plenary, 40 keynote and 200 invited talks. This selective collection from the conference papers includes 1 Review and 21 original research articles by researchers working at the National Institute of Materials Science, South East University China, Queensland University of Technology, Yokohoma National University, Kyunpook National University, Curtin University, Ewha Women's University, University of New South Wales, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, National University of Singapore, Deakin University, Korea University, Tokyo University of Science, GNS Science, SRM University, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and The University of Newcastle. This Special Issue covers a range of topics and applications at the heart of breakthrough advancements in the fields of catalysis (including photo and electrocatalysis), batteries, magnetism, sensing, bioimaging, thermogels, self-assembly, lithography and hydrogen production. A diverse suite of advanced nanomaterials including metals, metal oxides, metal sulphides, metal phosphates, metal selenides, carbon, carbon nitride, graphene and metal–organic frameworks in a diverse array of structure and morphologies of nanosphere, nanorods, thin films, bi-layered assemblies, porous architectures and florets are developed and discussed in these articles. For example, Bando and co-workers describe a novel patterning of the mesoporous noble metal films by combining the electrochemical assembly with photolithographic techniques that are useful for applications in photo and electrocatalysis. Kalantar and his colleagues report an electrically conductive and flexible composite by inclusion of graphene nanoflakes within the polymer matrix. The cavities introduced by the addition of flakes are filled by liquid metals through simple mechanical operation giving high conductivity to the composite that has applications in large area flexible electronics. Vinu's group reports two thermodynamically stable forms of carbon nitride—C3N7 and C3N6—that show excellent oxygen reduction reaction performance. A novel hybrid of copper and copper oxide with mesoporous fullerene is also shown to behave as an electrocatalyst with superior performance toward the oxygen reduction reaction. The high activity in this hybrid arises from the high dispersibility of the copper species in the mesoporous fullerene matrix. Awuah and Walsh turn the heat on the theoretical predictions of self-assembly of amino acids on the graphene surface. Using molecular dynamics simulation, they show a spontaneous ordering of dimers that is facilitated by the charge based intermolecular interactions. This fundamental understanding will lead to better design of biomolecular SAMs on graphene surfaces for biomedical applications. Hwang and co-workers use in-situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy to characterize the structure and nature of surface functionalities anchored on the manganese oxide for Li–O2 battery applications. They show that careful design of the structural disorder at the surface can improve the performance of metal oxide based electrocatalysts. In yet another fascinating application of advanced nanomaterials, Zheng and Tan show that fluorescent carbon dots derived from the biomolecules can be used for whole blood cell count. In one of the carbon dots, called biodots, whole blood cell counting can proceed without red blood cell lysis. Carbon dots are molecularly designed through a combination of amino acids with selected polymers followed by a hydrothermal treatment. Biodots have also been designed to selectively lyse red blood cells while fluorescently labeling white blood cells. Such novel synthesis opens the field for realization of fast and economic disease diagnostics. It is obvious from the selected examples discussed above that the diversity in topics and materials covered in these research articles makes this issue appealing to a broader audience in science and technology. The advanced nanomaterials will continue to push the boundaries of applications creating faster, lighter and efficient devices, solving the energy crisis, reducing global warming and serving the most vulnerable sections of society by creating economic disease diagnosis platforms and delivering drugs more personally and precisely. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the speakers at the conference and extend our special thanks to the contributors of this issue that truly captures the spirit of emerging and advanced nanomaterials synthesis, processing and applications. The mesmerizing expanse of nanomaterials applications captured in this issue will captivate and inspire the imagination of researchers across the globe. We also express our sincere thanks to the editorial team of Small especially Dr. Yang, Dr. Levy and Dr. Mickley-Gass for their untiring support. This Special Issue would not have been possible without their extended support. Ajay Karakoti is an associate professor at the Global Innovative Centre for Advanced Nanomaterials at The University of Newcastle, Australia. He is a broad-based materials researcher and works on the synthesis of bare and functionalized nanoparticles for applications in biology, catalysis and sensing. His research is focused on both the applications and detailed surface and bulk characterization of nanoparticles. A significant portion of his research deals with developing a detailed understanding of the reaction of cerium oxide nanoparticles with reactive oxygen species and the consequences of size, structure, doping and surface functional groups on its enzyme like activity. Jiabao Yi is an associate professor/future fellow of the Global Innovative Center of Advanced Nanomaterials, The University of Newcastle (UON). Before joining UON in 2018, he was a Queen Elizabeth II fellow at UNSW and Lee Kuan Yew postdoctoral fellow at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He obtained his Ph.D. degree in materials science and engineering at NUS in 2008. His research areas include magnetic semiconductors, 2D materials and their applications. Ajayan Vinu is a Global Innovation Chair professor and the director of the Global Innovative Center for Advanced Nanomaterials at The University of Newcastle. During these 20 years of research, he has made a tremendous contribution in the field of nanoporous materials, 2D nanomaterials, nanoparticles and their application in sensing, energy storage, fuel cells, adsorption and separation, and catalysis. His contribution in the field of nanoporous materials is also clearly reflected by his international ranking by Science Watch as one of the top 15 researchers in the field.