Chirality At The Nanoscale

The only standard reference in this exciting new field combines the physical, chemical and material science perspectives in a synergic way. This monograph traces the development of the preparative methods employed to create nanostructures, in addition to the experimental techniques used to characterize them, as well as some of the surprising physical effects. The chapters cover every category of material, from organic to coordination compounds, metals and composites, in zero, one, two and three dimensions. The book also reviews structural, chemical, optical, and other physical properties, finishing with a look at the future for chiral nanosystems.

Supramolecular chemistry deals with the organisation of molecules into defined assemblies using non-covalent interactions, including weaker and reversible interactions such as hydrogen bonds, and metal-ligand interactions. The aspect of stereochemistry within such chemical architectures, and in particular chirality, is of special interest as it impacts on considerations of molecular recognition, the development of functional materials, the vexed question of homochirality, nanoscale effects of interactions at interfaces, biocatalysis and enzymatic catalysis, and applications in organic synthesis. Chirality in Supramolecular Assemblies addresses many of these aspects, presenting a broad overview of this important and rapidly developing interdisciplinary field. Topics covered include: Origins of molecular and topological chirality Homochirogenesis Chirality in crystallinity Host-guest behavior Chiral influences in functional materials Chirality in network solids and coordination solids Aspects of chirality at interfaces Chirality in organic assemblies Chirality related to biocatalysis and enzymes in organic synthesis. This book is a valuable reference for researchers in the molecular sciences, materials science and biological science working with chiral supramolecular systems. It provides summaries and special insights by acknowledged international experts in the various fields.

Plasmonics has already revolutionized molecular imaging, cancer research, optical communications, sensing, spectroscopy, and metamaterials development. This book is a collective effort by several research groups to push the frontiers of plasmonics research into the emerging area of harnessing and generation of photon angular momentum on micro- and nanoscales. It offers a glimpse into the ongoing research efforts to develop new types of plasmonic vortex–pinning platforms and chiral nanostructures for light harvesting, bio(chemical) sensing, drug discovery, and nanoscale energy transfer.

Thorough and up-to-date, this book presents recent developments in this exciting research field. To begin with, the text covers the fabrication of chiral nanomaterials via various synthesis methods, including electron beam lithography, ion beam etching, chemical synthesis and biological DNA directed assembly. This is followed by the relevant theory and reaction mechanisms, with a discussion of the characterization of chiral nanomaterials according to the optical properties of metal nanoparticles, semiconductor nanocrystals, and nanoclusters. The whole is rounded off by a summary of applications in the field of catalysis, sensors, and biomedicine. With its comprehensive yet concise coverage of the whole spectrum of research, this is invaluable reading for senior researchers and entrants to the field of nanoscience and materials science.

Advances in Nanotechnology Research and Application: 2011 Edition is a ScholarlyEditions™ eBook that delivers timely, authoritative, and comprehensive information about Nanotechnology. The editors have built Advances in Nanotechnology Research and Application: 2011 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Nanotechnology in this eBook to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Advances in Nanotechnology Research and Application: 2011 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

There is much recent interest in the field of molecular gels because of their potential use in many different applications, including biomedicine and electronic materials. Functional Molecular Gels details the latest research on molecular gels from the fundamentals of molecular gel formation to their uses in a variety of fields. This book introduces the key concepts of designing molecular gels and their characterisation techniques, followed by chapters discussing different stimuli-responsive systems. Specific chapters are then dedicated to their diverse range of applications, including catalysis, tissue engineering, photonic materials and as templates for nanostructured materials. Written by active researchers in the area, this book gives a taste of the possibilities that molecular gels offer for those both new to and already working in the area.

Noble metal nanoparticles have attracted enormous scientific and technological interest because of their unique optical properties, which are related to surface plasmon resonances. The interest in nanosized metal particles dates back to ancient societies, when metals were used in various forms as decorative elements. From the famous Lycurgus cup, made by the Romans in the 4th century AD, through thousands of stained glasses in churches and cathedrals all over medieval Europe, bright-yellow, green, or red colors have been obtained by a touch of metallic additions during glass blowing. This peculiar interaction of light with nanometals can be widely tuned through the morphology and assembly of nanoparticles, thereby expanding the range of potential applications, from energy and information storage to biomedicine, including novel diagnostic and therapeutic methods. This book compiles recent developments that clearly illustrate the state of the art in this cutting-edge research field. It comprises different review articles written by the teams of Prof. Luis Liz-Marzán, an international leader in chemical nanotechnology who has made seminal contributions to the use of colloid chemistry methods to understand and tailor the growth of metal particles at the nanoscale. Apart from synthesis, the book also describes in detail the plasmonic properties of nanomaterials and illustrates some representative applications. This book will appeal to anyone involved in nanotechnology, nanocrystal growth, nanoplasmonics, and surface-enhanced spectroscopies.

Nanotechnology has received tremendous interest over the last decade, not only from the scientific community but also from a business perspective and from the general public. Although nanotechnology is still at the largely unexplored frontier of science, it has the potential for extremely exciting technological innovations that will have an enormous impact on areas as diverse as information technology, medicine, energy supply and probably many others. The miniturization of devices and structures will impact the speed of devices and information storage capacity. More importantly, though, nanotechnology should lead to completely new functional devices as nanostructures have fundamentally different physical properties that are governed by quantum effects. When nanometer sized features are fabricated in materials that are currently used in electronic, magnetic, and optical applications, quantum behavior will lead to a set of unprecedented properties. The interactions of nanostructures with biological materials are largely unexplored. Future work in this direction should yield enabling technologies that allows the study and direct manipulation of biological processes at the (sub) cellular level.