Journal of Materials Chemistry Blog

Henry Snaith wins the 2014 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship

20 May 2014

On behalf of the Journal of Materials Chemistry Executive Editorial Board we are delighted to announce Professor Henry Snaith is the winner of the Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship 2014.

Professor Snaith is the fifth winner of the Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship. The Journal of Materials Chemistry Executive Editorial Board chose Professor Snaith in recognition of the remarkable contribution he has made to the materials chemistry field.

This annual lectureship honours a younger scientist who has made a significant contribution to the field of materials chemistry. Further details of the Lectureship, including the lecture location, will be announced in due course.

Also of interest: You can now read all three of the 2014 Emerging Investigators Issues of Journal of Materials Chemistry A, B and C, which highlight the work of emerging investigators across the field of materials chemistry. There are a mix of review-type articles, Communications and Full Papers, as well as Profile articles showcasing the authors.

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Hot Article: A simple, low-cost CVD route to thin films of BiFeO3 for efficient water photo-oxidation

19 May 2014

By H. L. Parker.

Hydrogen holds immeasurable promise in our search for alternative, sustainable, cleaner fuels. However, the simple, cheap production of hydrogen is still proving a problem. Water photolysis is a great way to achieve pure H₂ and as O₂ is the only side product it does not result in the harmful greenhouse gas emissions that arise from using hydrocarbons to produce H₂. Unfortunately, the generation of H₂ by water photolysis is challenging as the reaction that forms O₂ is much slower than the H₂ forming reaction. The use of an efficient photocatalyst can significantly improve the success of this process.

This paper by Moniz et al. details the development of just such a photocatalyst. In this work a bimetallic BiFeO₃ catalyst is prepared using a novel method of Aerosol Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition (AA CVD). This is the first time that this method has been used to prepare a photocatalyst of this type. The team go on to test this photocatalyst for the electrolysis of water using both UV and solar irridation and encouragingly, activity is confirmed for the BiFeO₃ catalyst. Even more impressively the catalyst greatly outperforms both a commercially available photocatalyst (TiO₂ Activ^® glass) and another recently published photocatalyst (B-doped TiO₂ films).

The novel synthetic methodology presented in this paper enables large area thin film deposition and as a result has potential for high volume applications in the future.

A simple, low-cost CVD route to thin films of BiFeO₃ for efficient water photo-oxidation

Savio J. A. Moniz, Raul Quessada-Cabrera, Christopher S. Blackman, Junwang Tang, Paul Southern, Paul M. Weaver and Claire J. Carmalt,
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014, 2, 2922-2927 C3TA14824F

H. L. Parker is a guest web writer for the Journal of Materials Chemistry blog. She currently works at the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, the University of York.

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Hot Article: A highly luminescent chameleon: fine-tuned emission trajectory and controllable energy transfer

16 May 2014

By H. L. Parker.

Luminescent materials are a part of our everyday life featuring in lighting, television screens, etc. The recent emergence of lanthanide-based metal-organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs) has illuminated the future development of new functional luminescent materials. Research into Ln-MOFs is still at its early stages but they have shown promise in the development of effective novel compounds.

This paper by Zhang et al. takes Ln-MOFs to the next level and presents the first example of mixed-lanthanide MOFs. The work combines Eu³⁺, Gd³⁺ and Tb³⁺ as co-doped ions on to one MOF framework. The co-doped Ln-MOF is capable of excitation-dependent mutual conversion between blue, white and yellow emission chromaticity…I am guessing this is where the rather whimsical title has come from.

This succinctly written communication gives a first look at the synthesis and testing of this exciting new Ln-MOF and gives an idea of where the research into Ln-MOFs might be heading in the future.

A highly luminescent chameleon: fine tuned emission trajectory and controllable energy transfer
Huabin Zhang, Xiaochen Shan, Zuju Ma, Liujiang Zhou. Mingjian Zhang, Ping Lin, Shengmin Hu, En Ma, Renfu Li and Shaowu Du
J. Mater Chem. C, 2014, 2, 1367-1371. C3TC31624F

H. L. Parker is a guest web writer for the Journal of Materials Chemistry blog. She currently works at the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, the University of York.

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Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Possibly, its Graphene the Wonder Material!

15 May 2014

By Padmanabh Joshi.

Hot Article: Graphene–organic composites for electronics: optical and electronic interactions in vacuum, liquids and thin solid films

“Wonder material” they called it when it was discovered last decade and it started to be center of attention from 2010. To understand the reasoning behind calling graphene a wonder material, one need not be a rocket scientist. The beauty of this material is so conspicuous that it can fascinate anybody on the globe. Graphene is one the few materials in existence which is very thin, conductive, transparent and flexible at the same time. The wonder of this material’s thinness is so intriguing, that according to scientists, just ounce of graphene could cover 28 football fields. Only a single atom thick, Graphene could take electronics to the next level with much thinner, faster and cheaper components compared to the current silicon based electronics.

We all know the saying nothing is perfect, however researchers all over the globe are claiming that Graphene may not be perfect but it is close to perfect. The major challenges for making Graphene a game changer in electronics are control over chemical and physical properties by chemical functionalization and processing them upon up-scalable approaches.

: Graphene composite.

Investigators addressing these major challenges have explored the field of composites of graphene with organic semi-conductors and their findings are making graphene close to perfect if not perfect. A. Schlierf, P Samori and V.Palermo brilliantly reviewed the processes involved in modification of Graphene with organic semi-conductors in the article cited below. Combining the properties of organic semiconductors like well defined and tunable band gaps with the properties of graphene like flexibility, a dream material for the semi-conductor industry can be developed. A. Schlierf, P Samori and V.Palermo, in this article, not only review the modification of the graphene in solid, liquid and gases phases but also briefly summarize the electronic, magnetic and optical properties of the composite. This review gives precise insight into path graphene should be taken onto to make it perfect material for electronics.

Graphene-organic composites for electronics: optical and electronic interactions in vacuum, liquids and thin solid films
A. Schlierf, P. Samori and V. Palermo
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2014, 2, 3129-3143. DOI:10.1039/C3TC32153C

Padmanabh Joshi is a guest web writer for the Journal of Materials Chemistry blog. He currently works at the Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati.

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Article link: http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi:10.1039/c3tc32153c

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Endothelial cell thrombogenicity is reduced by ATRP-mediated grafting of gelatin onto PCL surfaces

01 May 2014

By James Serginson, web writer.

One of the most promising areas of materials chemistry research is the creation of synthetic analogues of biological tissue. The development of such materials would reduce the need for transplants and their associated problems. For example, polymer-based, artificial vascular grafts are a promising candidate for use in bypass operations. Unfortunately, they increase the risk of increasing thrombus (blood clot) formation. This in turn can lead to risk of serious medical problems such as stroke, heart attack and pulmonary embolism.

Researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have found that using functionalised polycaprolactone (PCL) can lead to reduced thrombogenicity. PCL itself is already widely used for in vivo applications although its hydrophobicity reduces its usefulness as an artificial blood vessel. Hydrophobic materials are also thought to be unsuitable because of their weak interactions with endothelial cells (ECs) – something commonly implicated in thrombus formation. To overcome these limitations, poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) was grown from PCL surfaces via a graft-from living polymerisation. The side chains of the PGMA were then used to attach gelatine molecules. It was found that the gelatin coat decreased the hydrophobicity of the surface leading to improved EC adhesion and a corresponding reduction in thrombogenicity.

Endothelial cell thrombogenicity is reduced by ATRP-mediated grafting of gelatin onto PCL surfaces
Gordon Minru Xiong, Shaojun Yuan, Chek Kun Tan, Jun Kit Wang, Yang Liu, Timothy Thatt Yang Tan, Nguan Soon Tan and Cleo Choong
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2014, 2, 485-493. DOI:10.1039/C3TB20760a

James Serginson is a guest web writer for the Journal of Materials Chemistry blog. He currently works at Imperial College London carrying out research into nanocomposites.

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Slow-setting bone glue for easier post-surgery access

30 Apr 2014

By Aliya Anwar.

A patient is rushed into hospital. Doctors crack the patient’s chest to operate. A life is saved, but what comes next? In order to access the heart and lungs, the sternum had to be opened, but closing it again and healing the wound is often more problematic than the surgery itself.

Researchers in Ireland and Germany have developed an adhesive to address this issue. Standard practise for sternal closure winds steel wires around the bones to immobilise them as they heal. However, displacement can occur in active patients and older bones can be weak, resulting in the wires cutting through. If the bones part again, a patient can be in agony.

Interested? Read the full article at Chemistry World.

Cohesive coupling, complexation and redox radical polymerisation work together to resist displacement

The original article can be read below:

Biomimetic Hyperbranched Poly(amino ester)-based Nanocomposite as Tunable Bone Adhesive for Sternal Closure
Wenxin Wang, Hong Zhang, Ligia Bre, Tianyu Zhao, Ben Newland and Mark Dacosta
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2014, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C4TB00155A

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Hot Article: Chemical modification of inorganic nanostructures for targeted and controlled drug delivery in cancer treatment

14 Apr 2014

By H. L. Parker.

Cancer nanotechnology, small but mighty!

The use of engineered nanostructures in biomedical applications and optimized therapy is revolutionising medicine and the way we treat disease. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that cancer is one of the biggest driving forces responsible for development of therapeutic nanotechnologies. The potential for earlier detection and targeted treatment of tumours using nanotechnologies will act not only to reduce the number of cancer deaths but also reduce the side effects and increase the efficacy of treatments.

This review by Zhang et al. examines the recent advances in nanotechnology for targeted drug delivery and controlled drug release in cancer treatment. The focus of the introduction is on inorganic nanostructures, highlighting the advantages of these materials over bioorganic nanomaterials, namely the ease of synthesis, modification and the control of size, shape and surface functionalization can be carried out. All of which allow for the design of materials for specific tissue or cell type targeting, controlled drug delivery and in vivo diagnostic imaging.

The review also covers the mechanisms of systematic targeted drug delivery, stimuli-responsive drug release and biocompatibility of these inorganic nanostructures. Overall, this review gives a clear and varied look at the different technologies under development that I would recommend to many scientists, not just those working in this field.

Chemical modification of inorganic nanostructures for targeted and controlled drug delivery in cancer treatment
Lei Zhang, Yecheng Li and Jimmy C. Yu
J. Mater Chem. B, 2014, 2, 452-470. C3TB21196G

H. L. Parker is a guest web writer for the Journal of Materials Chemistry blog. She currently works at the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, the University of York.

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Hot Articles for April!

08 Apr 2014

By Sarah Thirkell, Development Editor.

Strong transparent magnetic nanopaper prepared by immobilization of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in a nanofibrillated cellulose network
Yuanyuan Li, Hongli Zhu, Hongbo Gu, Honggi Dai, Zhiqiang Fang, Nicholas J. Weadock, Zhanhu Guo and Liangbing Hu

Bidirectional actuation of a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer
Martin Bothe and Thorsten Pretsch

Injectable biodegradable hydrogels: progress and challenges
Ki Hyun Bae, Li-Shan Wang and Motoichi Kurisawa

These papers are free to access until 8th May 2014

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Hot Article: Rubicene: a molecular fragment of C70 for use in organic field-effect transistors

03 Apr 2014

By Padmanabh Joshi.

If cells are the building blocks of life, an analogy can be made that transistors are the building blocks of the digital world. They could be credited as the discovery of the 20th century. One of the IEEE milestones, transistors can be counted as biggest step in technology. For the first 20 years after the discovery of transistors, Germanium based transistors were used all over the globe replacing vacuum tube based gadgets. Germanium transistors certainly helped kick off the table size computer age, but silicon based transistors revolutionized the design of it and produced an entire industry in California namely silicon valley. But researchers would not be termed researchers if they stopped inventing and innovating making this world a better place to live. Inventions of materials like graphene, carobon nanotubes and fullerens are stretching the boundaries and making a dent in bringing a new generation of transistors which would shrink the size of electronic gadgets even further with landmark speed.

Excellent Performance of the Rubicene as semiconductor for transistor

Rubicene, a molecule with unusual electronic properties, is capturing the imagination of researchers as a molecule for a new generation transistors. Lee et al. successfully attempted use of this promising organic semiconductor material for organic field effect transistors. Rubicene, molecular fragment of C70 also a type of cyclopenta fused polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon is well suited for the this application because of the high electron affinity. Lee et al studied theoretical electronic properties along with energy level alignments. Investigators also investigated the performance of Rubicene on the pentafluorobenzenethiol(PFBT) self-assembled mono-layer on Au electrodes. They found the mobility of the charge carriers was increased remarkably and also showed that systems like Rubicene based transistors will take the transistors to the higher levels. This suggests that no matter where development goes, transistors will continue to drive product research and technological advances.

Rubicene: a molecular fragment of C₇₀ for use in organic field-effect transistors
Hyunbok Lee, Yue Zhang, Lei Zhang, Timothy Mirabito, Edmund K. Burnett, Stefan Trahan, Ali Reza Mohebbi, Stefan C. B. Mannsfield, Fred Wudl and Alejandro L. Briseno
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2014, Advanced Article. DOI:10.1039/C3TC32117G

Padmanabh Joshi is a guest web writer for the Journal of Materials Chemistry blog. He currently works at the Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati.

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Hot Article: Noncytotoxic artificial bacterial flagella fabricated from biocompatible ORMOCOMP and iron coating

24 Mar 2014

By James Serginson, web writer.

Targeted drug delivery has developed greatly over the past fifty years although it remains a largely uncontrolled exercise. In general, even the most effective vectors rely on passive targeting analogous to a driver travelling from Land’s End to John o’ Groats by making random turns until they see a sign saying “Welcome to John o’ Groats”.

Nano- and microrobots have the potential to offer a more guided method of drug delivery as well as facilitating new approaches to non-invasive surgery and diagnosis. A recent paper by Qiu et al. describes the preparation of a helical microrobot inspired by the flagella used to propel bacteria. To start with, polymer helices of around 10 µm in length were prepared using a two-photon polymerisation whereby a laser is used to “write” a 3D structure is photoresist. These helices were then covered in iron or iron/titanium thin films.

It was found that by using low-strength magnetic fields it was possible to control the movement of the helices through water. Pleasingly, the helices also showed no signs of cytotoxicity according to both direct cellular imaging and an MTT assay.

Noncytotoxic artificial bacterial flagella fabricated from biocompatible ORMOCOMP and iron coating
Famin Qiu, Li Zhang, Kathrin E. Peyer, Marco Casarosa, Alfredo Franco-Obregón, Hongsoo Choi and Bradley J. Nelson
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2014, 2, 357. DOI:10.1039/C3TB20840k

James Serginson is a guest web writer for the Journal of Materials Chemistry blog. He currently works at Imperial College London carrying out research into nanocomposites.

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Journal of Materials Chemistry Blog

Henry Snaith wins the 2014 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship

Hot Article: A simple, low-cost CVD route to thin films of BiFeO3 for efficient water photo-oxidation

Hot Article: A highly luminescent chameleon: fine-tuned emission trajectory and controllable energy transfer

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Possibly, its Graphene the Wonder Material!

Endothelial cell thrombogenicity is reduced by ATRP-mediated grafting of gelatin onto PCL surfaces

Slow-setting bone glue for easier post-surgery access

Hot Article: Chemical modification of inorganic nanostructures for targeted and controlled drug delivery in cancer treatment

Hot Articles for April!

Hot Article: Rubicene: a molecular fragment of C70 for use in organic field-effect transistors

Hot Article: Noncytotoxic artificial bacterial flagella fabricated from biocompatible ORMOCOMP and iron coating

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