Silicon Based Nanomaterials

Silicon has been proven to be remarkably resilient as a commercial electronic material. The microelectronics industry has harnessed nanotechnology to continually push the performance limits of silicon devices and integrated circuits. Rather than shrinking its market share, silicon is displacing “competitor” semiconductors in domains such as high-frequency electronics and integrated photonics. There are strong business drivers underlying these trends; however, an important contribution is also being made by research groups worldwide, who are developing new configurations, designs, and applications of silicon-based nanoscale and nanostructured materials. This Special Issue features a selection of papers which illustrate recent advances in the preparation of chemically or physically engineered silicon-based nanostructures and their application in electronic, photonic, and mechanical systems.

A variety of nanomaterials have excellent optoelectronic and electronic properties for novel device applications. At the same time, and with advances in silicon integrated circuit (IC) techniques, compatible Si-based nanomaterials hold promise of applying the advantages of nanomaterials to the conventional IC industry. This book focuses not only on silicon nanomaterials, but also summarizes up-to-date developments in the integration of non-silicon nanomaterials on silicon. The book showcases the work of leading researchers from around the world who address such key questions as: Which silicon nanomaterials can give the desired optical, electrical, and structural properties, and how are they prepared? What nanomaterials can be integrated on to a silicon substrate and how is this accomplished? What Si-based nanomaterials may bring a breakthrough in this field? These questions address the practical issues associated with the development of nanomaterial-based devices in applications areas such as solar cells, luminous devices for optical communication (detectors, lasers), and high mobility transistors. Investigation of silicon-based nanostructures is of great importance to make full use of nanomaterials for device applications. Readers will receive a comprehensive view of Si-based nanomaterials, which will hopefully stimulate interest in developing novel nanostructures or techniques to satisfy the requirements of high performance device applications. The goal is to make nanomaterials the main constituents of the high performance devices of the future.

Silicon has been proven to be remarkably resilient as a commercial electronic material. The microelectronics industry has harnessed nanotechnology to continually push the performance limits of silicon devices and integrated circuits. Rather than shrinking its market share, silicon is displacing "competitor" semiconductors in domains such as high-frequency electronics and integrated photonics. There are strong business drivers underlying these trends; however, an important contribution is also being made by research groups worldwide, who are developing new configurations, designs, and applications of silicon-based nanoscale and nanostructured materials. This Special Issue features a selection of papers which illustrate recent advances in the preparation of chemically or physically engineered silicon-based nanostructures and their application in electronic, photonic, and mechanical systems.

Silicon-Based Hybrid Nanoparticles: Fundamentals, Properties, and Applications focuses on the fundamental principles and promising applications of silicon-based hybrid nanoparticles in nanoelectronics, energy storage/conversion, catalysis, sensors, biomedicine, environment and imaging. This book is an important reference source for materials scientists and engineers who are seeking to understand more about the major properties and applications of silicon-based hybrid nanoparticles. As the hybridization of silicon nanoparticles with other semiconductors or metal oxides nanoparticles may exhibit superior features, when compared to lone, individual nanoparticles, this book provides the latest insights. In addition, the silicon/iron oxide hybrid nanoparticles also possess excellent fluorescence, super-paramagnetism, and biocompatibility that can be effectively used for the diagnostic imaging system in vivo. Similarly, gold-silicon nanohybrids could be used as highly efficient near-infrared hyperthermia agents for cancer cell destruction. Outlines the major thermal, electrical, optical, magnetic and toxic properties of silicon-based hybrid nanoparticles Describes major applications in energy, environmental science and catalysis Assesses the major challenges to manufacturing silicon-based nanostructured materials on an industrial scale

In this Brief, authors introduce the advance in theoretical and experimental techniques for determining the thermal conductivity in nanomaterials, and focus on review of their recent theoretical studies on the thermal properties of silicon–based nanomaterials, such as zero–dimensional silicon nanoclusters, one–dimensional silicon nanowires, and graphenelike two–dimensional silicene. The specific subject matters covered include: size effect of thermal stability and phonon thermal transport in spherical silicon nanoclusters, surface effects of phonon thermal transport in silicon nanowires, and defects effects of phonon thermal transport in silicene. The results obtained are supplemented by numerical calculations, presented as tables and figures. The potential applications of these findings in nanoelectrics and thermoelectric energy conversion are also discussed. In this regard, this Brief represents an authoritative, systematic, and detailed description of the current status of phonon thermal transport in silicon–based nanomaterials. This Brief should be a highly valuable reference for young scientists and postgraduate students active in the fields of nanoscale thermal transport and silicon-based nanomaterials.

The development of a vector for the delivery of therapeutic drugs in a controlled and targeted fashion is still a major challenge in the treatment of many diseases. The conventional application of drugs may lead to many limitations including poor distribution, limited effectiveness, lack of selectivity and dose dependent toxicity. An efficient drug delivery system can address these problems. Recent nanotechnology advancements in the biomedical field have the potential to meet these challenges in developing drug delivery systems. Nanomaterials are changing the biomedical platform in terms of disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Nanomaterials aided drug delivery provides an advantage by enhancing aqueous solubility that leads to improved bioavailability, increased resistance time in the body, decreased side effects by targeting drugs to the specific location, reduced dose dependent toxicity and protection of drugs from early release. In this two-part book, the contributors have compiled reports of recent studies illustrating the promising nanomaterials that can work as drug carriers which can navigate conventional physiological barriers. A detailed account of several types of nanomaterials including polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, dendrimers, micelles, carbon nanomaterials, magnetic nanoparticles, solid lipid-based nanoparticles, silica nanomaterials and hydrogels for drug delivery is provided in separate chapters. The contributors also present a discussion on clinical aspects of ongoing research with insights towards future prospects of specific nanotechnologies. Part II covers the following topics: · Solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers · Silica based nanomaterials · Hydrogels · Metallic nanoparticles · Computational and experimental binding interactions of drug and β-cyclodextrin · Clinical milestones in nanotherapeutics · Drug delivery systems based on poly(lactide-co-glycolide) and its copolymers The book set is an informative resource for scholars who seek updates in nanomedicine with reference to nanomaterials used in drug delivery systems.

This book reviews the latest advances in the development of silicon nano-biotechnology for biological and biomedical applications, which include biosensing, bioimaging, and cancer therapy. In this book, newly developed silicon nano-biotechnology and its biomedical applications are systematically introduced. For instance, fluorescent silicon nanoparticles, serving as novel high-performance biological nanoprobes, are superbly suited to real-time and long-term bioimaging. Silicon nanowire-based sensing platform is especially capable of sensitive, specific, and multiplexed detection of various biological species. Silicon-based nanocarriers with ultra-high drug-loading capacity are highly efficacious for in vitro and in vivo cancer therapies. This book is intended for readers who are interested in the design of functional silicon nanostructures and their biological and biomedical applications. It uses silicon nanoparticles and silicon nanowires as models and discusses topics ranging from their synthesis to their biological applications, the goal being to highlight these exciting achievements as starting points in the field of silicon nano-biotechnology. Yao He is a Professor at Institute of Functional Nano&Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, China. Yuanyuan Su is an Associate Professor at Institute of Functional Nano&Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, China.

Cancer Therapy and Diagnosis, Part B, Volume 44 in The Enzymes series highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on Mesoporous silica nanoparticle synthesis, Periodic mesoporous organosilica, Nanovalves and other nanomachine-equipped nanoparticles and controlled release, Two-photon light control and photodynamic therapy, Biodegradable PMO nanoparticles, Cationic mesoporous silica and protein delivery, Drug loading, stimuli-responsive delivery and cancer treatment, Animal models and cancer therapy, siRNA delivery and TWIST shutdown for ovarian cancer treatment, and TBC (mesoporous silica nanoparticles and cancer therapy or biodistribution of MSN). Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors Presents the latest release in The Enzymes series Updated release includes the latest information on Cancer Therapy and Diagnosis