Emerging Materials and Nanotechnology

Nanoscience refers to the study, manipulation and engineering of matter, particles and structures on the nanometer scale (one millionth of a millimeter, the scale of atoms and molecules). Important properties of materials, such as the electrical, optical, thermal and mechanical properties, are determined by the way molecules and atoms assemble on the nanoscale into larger structures. Moreover, in nanometer size structures these properties often different then on macroscale, because quantum mechanical effects become important. Nanotechnology is the application of nanoscience leading to the use of new nanomaterials and nanosize components in useful products. Nanotechnology will eventually provide us with the ability to design custom-made materials and products with new enhanced properties, new nanoelectronics components, new types of “smart” medicines and sensors, and even interfaces between electronics and biological system.

The utilization of Materials science and engineering implies a novel group of materials with its individual logic of effect that cannot be defined just in terms of the normal classes of heavy and light or form, construction, and surface. Materials are the core for scientific and industrial advancements in our life and advancement in the field of electronic materials, biomaterials, sensors, energy materials, light alloys are vital for the information technology, improvement of health, smart atmosphere, renewable energy, improved transportation and other deliberate applications. Coelux lightening system where the scientists used a thin coating of nanoparticles to exactly simulate sunlight through Earth’s atmosphere and the effect known as Rayleigh scattering. Soft materials are the additional evolving class of materials that includes gels, colloids, liquids, foams, and coatings. 

Emerging Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage presents the state-of-art of emerging materials for energy conversion technologies (solar cells and fuel cells) and energy storage technologies (batteries, supercapacitors and hydrogen storage). The book is organized into five primary sections, each with three chapters authored by worldwide experts in the fields of materials science, physics, chemistry and engineering. It covers the fundamentals, functionalities, challenges and prospects of different classes of emerging materials, such as wide bandgap semiconductors, oxides, carbon-based nanostructures, advanced ceramics, chalcogenide nanostructures, and flexible organic electronics nanomaterials.

Polymer, any of a class of natural or synthetic substances composed of very large molecules, called macromolecules that are multiples of simpler chemical units called monomers. Polymers make up many of the materials in living organisms, including, for example, proteins, cellulose, and nucleic acids.

Materials which can be magnetized and attracted to a magnet are termed as ferromagnetic materials. These kinds of ferromagnetic materials comprise of iron, nickel, cobalt, some alloys of rare earth metals, and some naturally occurring minerals such as lodestone. Magnetic Smart Materials also have medical applications and it is predictable that they will increase in the future.

The characterization of materials is significant when it comes to understanding their overall properties. In order to introduce nanomaterials to various applications, detailed characterization of their optical, morphological, electrical, thermal and magnetic properties are needed. Materials Characterization comes into play at many phases of the product design and manufacturing process. To characterize a material we consider both Chemical and physical Imaging type information.

Biomaterials serve as an integral component of tissue engineering. They are designed to provide architectural framework reminiscent of native extracellular matrix in order to encourage cell growth and eventual tissue regeneration. Bone and cartilage represent two distinct tissues with varying compositional and mechanical properties. Despite these differences, both meet at the osteochondral interface Polymeric biomaterials are one of the cornerstones of tissue engineering. A wide range of materials has been used. Approaches have shown increasing sophistication over recent years employing drug delivery functionality, micro patterning, microfluidics, and other technologies.

The isolation of graphene in 2004 from graphite was a defining moment for the “birth” of a field: two-dimensional (2D) materials. In recent years, there has been a rapidly increasing number of papers focusing on non-graphene layered materials, including transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), because of the new properties and applications that emerge upon 2D confinement. Here, we review significant recent advances and important new developments in 2D materials “beyond graphene”.

A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, non-metallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Composite material, also called composite, a solid material that results when two or more different substances, each with its own characteristics, are combined to create a new substance whose properties are superior to those of the original components in a specific application.

The High-Performance Materials program drives to characterize, produce, and certify advanced alloys and high-performance materials that are key to realizing dispatchable, reliable, high-efficiency, decarbonized power generation from coal, gas, or hydrogen. In addition, the program aims to encourage change and stimulate innovation in the high-performance materials value chain to spur US competitiveness. Materials of interest include those that enable components and equipment to perform in the high-temperature, high-pressure, corrosive environments of an advanced energy system with specific emphasis on durability, availability, and cost.