Hierarchical calcium carbonate structures with multi-scale organization have been successfully fabricated covering the full range of pore sizes from nano-, to micro- to macrofeatures. The resulting 3D scaffolds, with a close resemblance to bone structures, have been evaluated in vitro and in vivo and showed great potential for bone regeneration.

The nanocrystallisation of complex molecules inside mesoporous hosts and control over the resulting structure is a significant challenge. To date the largest organic molecule crystallised inside the nano-pores is a known pharmaceutical intermediate - ROY (259.3 g mol(-1)). In this work we demonstrate smart manipulation of the phase of a larger confined pharmaceutical - indomethacin (IMC, 357.8 ...

Electric field induced phase transitions of confined water have an important role in cryopreservation and electrocrystallization. In this study, the structural and dynamical properties of nano-confined water in nano-slit pores under the influence of an electric field varying from 0 to 10 V nm(-1) are investigated under ambient conditions using molecular dynamics simulations. In order to replica...

Due to uniquely ordered nanoporous structure and high surface area as well as large pore volume, mesoporous materials have exhibited excellent performance in both controlled drug delivery with sustained release profiles and formulation of poorly aqueoussoluble drugs with enhanced bioavailability. Compared with other bulk excipients, mesoporous materials could achieve a higher loading of active ...

In this work, we measure the thermal and thermoelectric properties of large-area Si0.8Ge0.2 nano-meshed films fabricated by DC sputtering of Si0.8Ge0.2 on highly ordered porous alumina matrices. The Si0.8Ge0.2 film replicated the porous alumina structure resulting in nano-meshed films. Very good control of the nanomesh geometrical features (pore diameter, pitch, neck) was achieved through the a...

The rapid development and application of nanotechnology to biological interfaces has impacted the bone implant field, allowing researchers to finely modulate the interface between biomaterials and recipient tissues. In the present study, oxidative anodization was exploited to generate two alumina surfaces with different pore diameters. The former displayed surface pores in the mean range of 16-...

Bi2Mn2O7 nano-powders were synthesized via a stoichiometric 1:1 Bi:Mn molar ratio hydrothermal method at 180 °C for 48 h in a 1M NaOH aqueous solution; and solid state method, using Bi(NO3)3.5H2O and MnO2 as raw materials. The synthesized materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) technique. Also, the rietveld analysis was done in FullProf in profile matching mode. It was f...

The impact of nano-SiO₂ on the early hydration properties of alite-sulphoaluminate (AC$A) cement was investigated with a fixed water to solid ratio (w/s) of one. Nano-SiO₂ was used in partial substitution of AC$A cement at zero, one and three wt %. Calorimetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric/derivative thermogravimetric (TG/DTG), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and scanning elec...

In this study, new nano-fluor-hydroxyapatite (nFHA)/polyurethane composite scaffolds were fabricated for potential use in bone tissue engineering. Polyester urethane samples were synthesized from polycaprolactone, hexamethylene diisocyanate, and 1,4-butanediol as chain extender. Nano fluor-hydroxyapatite (nFHA) was successfully synthesized by sol-gel method. The solid-liquid phase separation an...

Compacted clays are considered as excellent candidates for barriers to radionuclide transport in future repositories for nuclear waste due to their very low hydraulic permeability. Diffusion is the dominant transport mechanism, controlled by a nano-scale pore system. Assessment of the clays' long-term containment function requires adequate modelling of such pore systems and their evolution. Exi...