The interplay between olefin metathesis and dendrimers and other nano systems is addressed in this mini review mostly based on the authors' own contributions over the last decade. Two subjects are presented and discussed: (i) The catalysis of olefin metathesis by dendritic nano-catalysts via either covalent attachment (ROMP) or, more usefully, dendrimer encapsulation - ring closing metathesis (...

Thermal plasmas, normally generated by DC (direct current) arc or inductively coupled RF (Radio Frequency) discharge, can be described as a high enthalpy flame with extremely high temperature fields (1,000~20,000 K) and a wide range of velocity fields from several m/s [1-5] to supersonic values [6-7]. Since the resultant huge enthalpy can be realized for various kinds of plasma forming gases an...

Background: Cattle manure (CM) is the most common organic fertilizer used by farmers. However, its usually slow decomposition leads to the use of chemical fertilizers. Therefore, experiments on nano- and micro-sized particles of CM were conducted to evaluate the possibility of accelerating its decomposition in soil. Methods: The effects of a sole application of CM in different sizes (nano-, mi...

In recent years, the use of both nano- and micro-sized lanthanum has been increasing in the production of optical glasses, batteries, alloys, etc. However, a hazard assessment has not been performed to determine the degree of toxicity of lanthanum. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the toxicity of both nano- and micro-sized lanthanum oxide in cultured cells and rats. After id...

friction stir processing was applied for fabricating an aluminum alloy based hybrid nano composite reinforced with nano sized al2o3 and micro sized graphite particles. a mixture of al2o3 and graphite particles was packed into a groove with 1 mm width and 4.5 mm depth, which had been cut in 5083 aluminum plate of 10 mm thick. packed groove was subjected to friction stir processing in order to im...

Majority of materials employed for food packaging are non-biodegradable materials which do not meet increasing demands in society for sustainability and environmental safety. Thus, numerous biopolymers have been exploited to develop biodegradable food packaging materials. Nonetheless, the usage of biopolymers has been limited due to the poor mechanical and barrier properties. These properties c...

Magnetic particles have been studied with much interest with reference to many engineering applications. Much effort has been devoted to the preparation of nano-sized magnetite particles with well-controlled size and shape. Magnetic bacteria synthesize uniform and nano-sized magnetite particles enveloped by organic lipid membranes. This review discusses recent advances in bacterial magnetite pa...

The boron (Z = 5) element is unique. Boron-based (nano-)materials are equally unique. Accordingly, the present special issue is dedicated to crystalline boron-based (nano-)materials and gathers a series of nine review and research articles dealing with different boron-based compounds. Boranes, borohydrides, polyhedral boranes and carboranes, boronate anions/ligands, boron nitride (hexagonal str...

The microstructure, mechanical properties, and hydrogen permeation behavior of hot rolled enamel steel were investigated. Three coiling temperatures were adopted to gain different sizes of ferrite grain and TiC precipitates. The results show that a large number of interphase precipitates of nano-sized TiC can be obtained at coiling temperatures of 650 and 700 °C, while a few precipitates are fo...