The co-condensation of functional alkoxysilanes with tetraethoxysilane in the presence of a structure directing agent under sol-gel process chemistry is a common way to access functional organosilica with an ordered mesostructure. In this report, bulky silylated fatty acid methyl esters were used both as co-templating bio-molecules and functionalizing agents in the process of supra-molecular si...

We explore theoretically the feasibility of functionalizing carbon nanostructures for hydrogen storage, focusing on the coating of C60 fullerenes with light alkaline-earth metals. Our first-principles density functional theory studies show that both Ca and Sr can bind strongly to the C60 surface, and highly prefer monolayer coating, thereby explaining existing experimental observations. The str...

In this study concept of experimental design is successfully applied for the determination of optimum condition to produce PP/SWCNT (Polypropylene/Single wall carbon nanotube) nanocomposite. Central composite design as one of experimental design techniques is employed for the optimization and statistical determination of the significant factors influencing on the tensile modulus and yield stres...

Resolving individual atoms has always been the ultimate goal of surface microscopy. The scanning tunneling microscope images atomic-scale features on surfaces, but resolving single atoms within an adsorbed molecule remains a great challenge because the tunneling current is primarily sensitive to the local electron density of states close to the Fermi level. We demonstrate imaging of molecules w...

An electronic nose (e-nose) strategy is described based on SnO(2) nanowire arrays whose sensing properties are modified by changing their operating temperatures and by decorating some of the nanowires with metallic nanoparticles. Since the catalytic processes occurring on the metal nanoparticles depend on the identity of the metal, decorating the semiconducting nanowires with various metal nano...

α- and β-cyclodextrins have been used as scaffolds for the synthesis of six- and seven-legged templates by functionalizing every primary CH2OH with a 4-pyridyl moiety. Although these templates are flexible, they are very effective for directing the synthesis of macrocyclic porphyrin oligomers consisting of six or seven porphyrin units. The transfer of chirality from the cyclodextrin templates t...

Functionalization enhances the properties and characteristics of nanoparticles through surface modification, and enables them to play a major role in the field of medicine. In molecular imaging, quality functional images are required with proper differentiation which can be seen with high contrast to obtain viable information. This review article discusses how functionalization enhances molecul...

Highly porous nanocellulose aerogels can be prepared by vacuum freeze-drying from microfibrillated cellulose hydrogels. Here we show that by functionalizing the native cellulose nanofibrils of the aerogel with a hydrophobic but oleophilic coating, such as titanium dioxide, a selectively oil-absorbing material capable of floating on water is achieved. Because of the low density and the ability t...

One of the main issues in the production of polymer nanocomposites is the dispersion state of filler as multilayered graphene (MLG) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) tend to agglomerate due to van der Waals forces. The agglomeration can be avoided by using organic solvents, selecting suitable dispersion and production methods, and functionalizing the fillers. Another proposed method is the use of hyb...