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The pace of development of nanomaterials has not let up since the
foundation of the National Nanotechnology Initiatives (NNI) in the US,
and the likes of it around the world, some 20 years ago. Many
nanomaterials that have been discovered have not only allowed us to
expand our fundamental understanding of matter in the regime between
atoms/molecules and bulk systems, but also brought in many commercial
nano-based products and enormouseconomic growth. However, a lot of work
still remains to develop advanced nanomaterials for applications ranging
from energy and environment to biology and medicine for the benefits of
human beings. For example, there is currently a great need of
sustainable and efficient solid-state catalysts for many renewable
energy systemssuch as fuel cells and electrolyzers to provide clean
energy and reduce the unabated negative environmental impacts of fossil
fuels.
In the first part of my talk, my research group’s efforts on the
rational design and synthesis of various metal-free or noble metal-free
hybrid nanostructured and nanoporous materials and their unique
properties will be discussed. Some of these materials are expected to
addresssome of the most pressing issues facing the world today in the
areas of energy and biology/medicine. I will emphasize how
chemistryenables the development of highly active, multifunctional
nanocatalystsfor reactions such as the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR),
the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the oxygen evolution reaction
(OER), and the hydrazine oxidation reaction (HOR)—reactions that are
relevant to fuel cells and water splitting. Particular focus will be
given to the various novel design and synthetic approaches
(functionalization, “nanostructuring”, doping, etc.), to make a series
of highly effective nanocatalysts for various reactions. Moreover,
fundamental and theoretical studies that helped us to design as well as
to unravel catalytic active sites on some of these materials, and the
mechanisms by which they effectivelytransform various reactions, will be
discussed. In the second part of my talk, I will demonstrate how similar
synthetic approaches can lead to related nanomaterials that can serve as
targeted drug delivery vehicles, antimicrobialsor skin wound dressings.
By exploiting the structural features, sizes, and multi-functional
groups of the nanomaterials, we are able to improve the potency of many
anticancer and antimicrobial agents. In many of these systems, the
multiple functional groups that we rationally juxtapose on the
nanomaterials are exploited to bring in functionality that is more than
the simple sum of those of the constituents.Several examples
demonstrating this, especially in the areas of energy conversions and
storage and biological processes, will also be discussed. |