Volume 3, Issue 11 -

The Raman effect is at the basis of Raman scattering and microspectrometry: in the first part of the chapter, it is very shortly exposed together with differences with infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and advantages and drawbacks of the technique. The importance of the choice of the excitation wavelength, of the spectrometer (fixed, portable and handheld) and of the optics is underlined, while the information provided by the technique for inorganic and organic materials is considered. The surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) theory and principle applications are also taken into account. In the second part of the chapter, all the different applications of Raman and SERS to cultural heritage materials are contemplated: minerals, gemstones, rocks, patinas and corrosion products, glass, pottery, mortars, dyes, binders, resins, paper, parchment, inks and human remains. For each category of objects, the answers that Raman microspectrometry and SERS can give to the archaeometric and conservation-related questions, the in situ investigations, the search of specific spectral parameters and the use of chemometrics are shown, together with the most recent advances in the field.

With an increasing diversity of electrical energy sources, in particular with respect to the pool of renewable energies, and a growing complexity of electrical energy usage, the need for storage solutions to counterbalance the discrepancy of demand and offer is inevitable. In principle, a battery seems to be a simple device since it just requires three basic components – two electrodes and an electrolyte – in contact with each other. However, only the control of the interplay of these components as well as their dynamics, in particular the chemical reactions, can yield a high-performance system. Moreover, specific aspects such as production costs, weight, material composition and morphology, material criticality, and production conditions, among many others, need to be fulfilled at the same time. They present some of the countless challenges, which make battery design a long-lasting, effortful task. This chapter gives an introduction to the fundamental concepts of batteries. The principles are exemplified for the basic Daniell cell followed by a review of Nernst equation, electrified interface reactions, and ionic transport. The focus is addressed to crystalline materials. A comprehensive discussion of crystal chemical and crystal physical peculiarities reflects favourable and unfavourable local structural aspects from a crystallographic view as well as considerations with respect to electronic structure and bonding. A brief classification of battery types concludes the chapter.

Throughout the lithium ion battery (LIB) history, since they were mass produced by Sony in 1991, graphite-based materials have been the anode material of choice. There have been enormous efforts to search for ways of tapping higher energy with alternative anode materials to work in LIBs. Yet, those materials have always been subjected to detrimental mechanisms that hinder their applications in LIBs. Will nanotechnology and nanostructured anode materials change the energy storage technologies markedly in the future?

In chemical photocatalysis, the photophysical process is coupled to a subsequent chemical reaction. The absorbed light energy contributes to the overall energy balance of the reaction and thereby increases its sustainability. Additionally, oligonucleotides and oligopeptides offer the possibility to control regio- and stereoselectivity as catalysts of organic reactions by providing potential substrate binding sites. We follow this path and want to explore how important substrate binding sites are for photocatalysis. The general concepts of photochemistry and biooligomer catalysis are combined for photochemically active DNAzymes for [2 + 2]-cycloadditions and proline-rich short peptides for nucleophilic additions to styrenes.

Noble metal nanoclusters (NCs) are a new class of nanomaterials which are considered being a missing link between isolated metal atoms and metal nanoparticles (NPs). The sizes of the NCs are comparable to the Fermi wavelength of the conduction electrons, and this renders them to be luminescent in nature. They exhibit size-dependent fluorescence properties spanning almost the entire breath of the visible spectrum. Among all the noble metal NCs being explored, copper NCs (CuNCs) are the most rarely investigated primarily because of their propensity of getting oxidised. In this chapter, we have given a comprehensive understanding as to why these NCs are luminescent in nature. We have also given a detailed overview regarding the various templates used for the synthesis of these CuNCs along with the respective protocols being followed. The various instrumental techniques used to characterize these CuNCs are discussed which provides an in-depth understanding as to how these CuNCs can be properly examined. Finally, we have highlighted some of the most recent applications of these CuNCs which make them unique to serve as the next-generation fluorophores. Graphical Abstract : The Graphical Abstract highlights some of the key spectroscopic signatures of the CuNCs and their applications.

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) have attracted attentions form both academia and industry due to their outstanding electronic and optical properties. The AgNW-based devices for various uses were invented in recent years. It is well known that the sizes of AgNWs have a crucial effect on the performance of AgNW-based devices. However, how to synthesize AgNWs with controlled sizes is still unsolved. Researchers reported many methods to synthesize AgNWs with different sizes in the past decade. However, a review that focuses on the synthetic methods of AgNWs is very rare. The aim of this review is to summarize the recent developments that have been achieved with AgNWs, and many procedure details and results and discussions will be provided for practical use. Graphical Abstract :

Two molecules, each including tris-2-amino-ethyleneamine (tren), have been produced using a Schiff’s base condensation and long-chain, aliphatic aldehydes. The syntheses are straightforward and can be run in air at ambient temperature. The ability of these molecules to complex with metal ions makes them good candidates for water remediation. The ability of these ligands to hold metal ions in 0.03   M non-aqueous solutions was unexpected. Their syntheses and characterization are discussed.

Engineered metal nanoparticles (metal NPs) possess unique size -dependent optical and electronic properties that could enable new applications in biomedicine, energy generation, microelectronics, micro-optics, and catalysis. For metal NPs to make a mark in these fields, however, new synthetic strategies must be developed that permit NP synthesis on the kilogram scale, while maintaining precise control over NP physiochemical properties (size, shape, composition, and surface chemistry). Currently, NP batch syntheses produce product on the milligram scale and rely on synthetic strategies that are not readily amenable to scale-up. Flow reactor systems (including lab-on-a-chip devices) provide a synthesis platform that can circumvent many of the traditional limitations of batch-scale NP syntheses. These reactors provide more uniform reagent mixing, more uniform heat transfer, opportunities to interface in situ monitoring technology, and allow product yield to be scaled up simply by running multiple reactors in parallel. While many NP syntheses have been successfully transferred to microfluidic reactor systems, microfluidic reactor fabrication is time intensive and typically requires sophisticated lithography facilities. Consequently, millifluidic flow reactors (reactors with channel dimensions of 0.5–10.0 mm) are gaining popularity in NP synthesis. These millifluidic reactors provide many of the same synthetic advantages as microfluidic devices, but are simpler to construct, easier to reconfigure, and more straightforward to interface with in situ monitoring techniques. In this chapter, we will discuss the progress that has been made in developing millifluidic reactors for functionalized metal NP synthesis. First, we will review the basic wet-chemical strategies used to control metal NP size and shape in batch reactors. We will then survey some of the basic principles of millifluidic device design, construction, and operation. We will also discuss the potential for incorporating in situ monitoring for quality control during synthesis. We will conclude by highlighting some particularly relevant examples of millifluidic metal NP synthesis that have set new standards for metal NP size, shape, and surface chemistry control. Graphical Abstract : Credit: Sam Lohse