Materials Engineering Nanotechnology

Artificial Enzymes: Where Chemistry Meets Ingenuity ⚗️✨ Nature has always been our best chemist. Enzymes, the biological catalysts that power life, are astonishing in their precision and speed. But what if we could engineer similar catalysts - ones that can thrive in harsh environments, last longer, and be tailored for tasks nature never imagined? Enter artificial enzymes, also known as nanozymes. These synthetic catalysts mimic the functions of natural enzymes but with added perks: 🔹 Enhanced stability under extreme pH and temperature 🔹 Cost-effective large-scale production 🔹 Tunable catalytic properties 🔹 Potential applications in healthcare, environmental cleanup, and energy Recent advances in materials science and nanotechnology have brought artificial enzymes closer to real-world impact: ✅ Smart cancer therapies using nanozymes for targeted oxidative stress ✅ Water purification systems that break down organic pollutants ✅ Biosensors with higher shelf life and sensitivity What excites me most? The interdisciplinary collaboration driving this field - chemists, material scientists, biomedical engineers, and AI researchers joining forces to rethink catalysis. #artificialenzymes #nanozymes #catalysis Image credit: Nature Catalysis volume 4, pages407–417 (2021)

Do you know what carbon nanotubes are? During my recent trip to Finland, I had the chance to tour Canatu, a deep tech company headquartered near Helsinki that most people outside of the advanced materials industry might not have heard of. Canatu works with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). And what they’re building is a window into something much bigger, a significant materials revolution that could quietly reshape many industries. Here’s what Canatu is actually doing right now: Their film heaters keep LiDAR and camera sensors clear in harsh weather, enabling autonomous driving in any conditions. Your self-driving car seeing through a winter snowstorm? That’s a nanotube problem and Canatu is solving it. Their CNT membranes are used inside ASML’s EUV lithography machines, which are the devices that manufacture chips at the two-nanometre scale powering AI and cloud infrastructure. Their pioneering work can lead to frontier chips. And then there was the moment that stopped me cold. They showed us how their carbon nanotubes can power a new generation of blood diagnostics- rapid, precise medical testing that could positively impact how and where healthcare is delivered. Not a concept. Not a pitch deck. Something they’re actually building and I got to see working on real time behind closed doors. (We got a private tour of their factory floor) Semiconductors. Automotive. Healthcare. One new material with important implications. Their net sales have grown over 95% annually from 2020 to 2024! Now, let’s zoom out. Carbon nanotubes are part of a broader carbon materials revolution and Graphene is at the center of it. Graphene conducts electricity better than copper. It’s stronger than steel. Extraordinarily light, flexible, and biocompatible. It can be engineered into films, coatings, composites, sensors, and energy storage systems. (I’ve been obsessed with Graphene for a while) Industries like Energy, Defense, Medicine, Electronics, Construction. and Aerospace can all benefit from it. The surfaces of the physical world are about to get radically smarter and new materials are the reason why. We talk endlessly about AI. But AI runs on chips. Chips are manufactured using advanced materials. The physical substrate of intelligence is being reinvented atom by atom, in labs like Canatu’s in Finland. Technology Academy Finland (TAF) Business Finland #HacklFutures #DeepTech #Graphene #CarbonNanotubes #AdvancedMaterials #PhysicalAI #Innovation #Finland #AI

Nature builds strong materials through simple components and smart organization. In this work, we translated bamboo’s composite strategy into a synthetic hydrogel by designing a composite system with both strong interfaces and organized structure. Instead of extracting natural fibbers, we assembled chitosan–sodium alginate nanofibers (CSNF) from the ground up for better compatibility with the PVA matrix. To bind the components together, we introduced tannic acid (TA), a multifunctional interfacial molecule that mimics lignin’s role in bamboo. This combination allowed us to engineer not just the ingredients, but also how they interact. TA is the key element functioning at three levels. It strengthens the interface between CSNF and PVA, reinforces the PVA matrix through stronger hydrogen bonding, and reduces crystallinity to improve stress transfer. Building on this molecular design, we further aligned the nanofibers and introduced a layered matrix structure that mimics bamboo’s architecture. The result is a hydrogel composite with high tensile strength (up to 60.2 MPa), excellent stretchability (470% strain), and strong resistance to impact. This work demonstrates how molecular-level tuning and structural organization, inspired by nature, can work together to enhance mechanical performance in soft composites. Published in Nature Communications: https://lnkd.in/gVgyF554

On Friday our recent work on supported molecular catalysts for ethanol production via CO2 electrolysis was published in Nature Catalysis. This work heavily challenged us to make sense of an originally unexpected result and led to my group's most extensive set of collaborations to date. Here is a short behind the scenes, and I of course encourage you to give the paper a read as well! Led by Maryam Abdinejad we began exploring the deposition of traditional molecular electrocatalysts (iron tetraphenylporphyrin - FeTPP) on non-carbon substrates. The PI next to my office Fokko Mulder had been using nickel electrodes for quite some time, and the PhD researcher at the time Robin Möller-Gulland was able to make various 3D nickel supports of high surface area. Robin and Maryam spent a few months designing a working system and depositing FeTPP onto Ni supports. Suddenly ethanol was seen as a product. An unexpected result as FeTPP typically makes CO from CO2, while Ni by itself mostly makes H2 (with important notable exceptions). Stumped, we then turned to an old colleague and PhD student at McGill (Ali Seifitokaldani and Amirhossein Farzi) for some hypothesizing with DFT, as well as a long-term expert in homogeneous CO2 organometallic catalysts Marc Robert. Marc and I discussed our preliminary results, with Marc confused by the large electron transfers and carbon-carbon coupling, and me realizing I was severely lacking in knowledge in the field. These discussions led to collaboration with the nearby Paris group, many more control experiments, and more importantly, our paper's key hypothesis that supported molecular catalysts may forego their traditional redox-mediated reaction mechanisms. I tested this hypothesis out with a couple experts in the field at a NanoGe conference in Barcelona while I was writing my European Research Council (ERC). No one spit their drink out in laughter at me, so we pushed forward. Fast forward lots of literature, many more meetings, PhD's and postdocs moving to new positions, endless editing hours, and about two years. And we're happy to share this work now. I will admit there are many places this paper could have and should have fallen apart due to the number of parties involved and the length of time it took. In the end though we finished, and this work made me learn more new science and about managing projects than any paper before it. Here is a link to the article: https://lnkd.in/egrwnRU9

I am delighted to share our latest collaborative publication in "Small" (Wiley-VCH, IF: 12.1, Q1 in Nanoscience & Nanotechnology): 👉 “Versatility of Surfactant‐Mediated NiTe₂ Nanoparticles: Unlocking Potential for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction, Supercapacitor, and Sustainable Green Catalysis” 📄 Read here : https://lnkd.in/g6t95myQ 🔑 Key Highlights of this Work Novel synthesis strategy: Surfactant-mediated NiTe₂ nanoparticles synthesized via a dual-function ligand, eliminating external capping agents. Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER): Low overpotential (309 mV at 10 mA cm⁻²) and fast kinetics (Tafel slope ~50 mV dec⁻¹). Supercapacitor performance: 620 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹, with 78% retention after 5000 cycles. Sustainable Green Catalysis: Enabled quinoline and 2-aminoquinoline synthesis with up to 97% yield under mild, eco-friendly conditions. Multifunctionality: One material bridging clean energy conversion, energy storage, and green chemistry. 👩🔬 Co-Authors & Collaborators Neha Mathur¹, Monu Choudhary¹, Abhinav Kashyap Dwivedi¹, Jatin Nama², Shwetha K.P³, Manjunatha C³, Sudhanshu Shama², Pankaj Gupta¹, Hemant Joshi¹, Partha Roy¹ 🏫 Affiliations ¹ Department of Chemistry, School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy, Central University of Rajasthan, India ² Discipline of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, India ³ Department of Chemistry & Physics, Center of Excellence in Nanomaterials and Devices, RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru, India 🙏 Acknowledgements Heartfelt thanks to all collaborators and institutions for their support. This work underscores how cross-institutional collaboration leads to impactful advances in next-generation energy and sustainable catalysis. #SmallJournal #Nanomaterials #CleanEnergy #HydrogenEvolution #Supercapacitors #GreenChemistry #SustainableEnergy #MaterialsScience #Innovation #Collaboration R V College of Engineering, BANGALORE RV University Central University of Rajasthan, Jaipur Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar

We're excited to share a new study by Zeyan Liu and Bosi Peng on cathode catalyst design for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) for heavy-duty applications, published in Nature Nanotechnology recently. Heavy-duty transportation is seen as a key market entry point for hydrogen fuel cells due to fewer infrastructure demands. However, these vehicles require fuel cells with higher durability and higher efficiency, given their longer driving ranges and higher fuel consumption than light-duty vehicles. Our latest advancement introduces a pure platinum nanoparticle catalyst encapsulated by graphene within a mesoporous support, enhancing kinetic stability. After 90,000 accelerated stress test cycles, it showed only a 1.1% power loss at high current densities, projecting a lifetime exceeding 200,000 hours. This advancement paves the way to realizing the immense potential of hydrogen fuel cells to meet the rigorous demands of heavy-duty energy applications, and their implications for the future of clean energy transportation. https://lnkd.in/gsjUuWwp

(A post for folks who’ve ever said “we just need a little more I_D”...) The humble MOSFET has been stressed, strained, doped, twisted, scaled, stacked, and shape-shifted — all to squeeze out a little more current. From the days of simple planar devices to today’s stacked nanosheet madness, we’ve tried almost everything to make transistors faster, smaller, and more power-efficient. So here’s a list of literally every trick the industry and academia have used to boost drive current (I_D) over the decades. From the Current Equation:   I_D ∝ μ × C_ox × (W/L) × (V_GS − V_TH)²   → So naturally, we boost everything. 1. Ways to Improve Mobility □ Strain engineering (SiGe for PMOS, tensile Si for NMOS) □ High-mobility channels like Ge, InGaAs □ Cryogenic operation (yes, cool chips = faster electrons) □ Engineering oxide interfaces to reduce phonon scattering 2. Boosting Gate Capacitance □ High-κ dielectrics like HfO₂ (because SiO₂ couldn’t keep up) □ Thinner EOT — without inviting leakage □ Metal gate tuning for better control over the channel 3. Optimizing Device Dimensions □ FinFETs — vertical fins give more effective width □ Nanosheets / Nanowires — gate-all-around for stronger control □ Shorter channel lengths (L ↓ = I_D ↑) □ Multi-finger layouts to pack in more drive current 4. Managing Threshold Voltage □ Halo implants, retrograde wells, and other doping tweaks □ Static or adaptive body biasing □ Workfunction tuning via gate material □ Using dual-/multi-Vt devices strategically in a design 5. Changing the Device Structure □ SOI and UTBB for better electrostatics and isolation □ GAA FETs — full gate control on all sides □ Vertical FETs — stacking transistors upward □ Forksheet and CFETs — stacking NMOS over PMOS (or vice versa) 6. Cutting Down Resistance □ Raised Source/Drain to reduce series resistance □ Low-resistance silicides (like NiSi, CoSi₂) □ Advanced annealing + epitaxy for better doping and activation 7. Circuit Techniques That Help □ Adaptive body bias to tweak performance dynamically □ SRAM assist circuits (improve read/write current) □ Dynamic voltage scaling to momentarily boost V_GS 8. Exploring New Transport Mechanisms □ Ballistic transport in ultra-short channels □ Tunneling FETs — carriers sneak through barriers □ Negative Capacitance FETs — using ferroelectrics to boost I_D 9. Trying Out New Materials □ 2D materials like MoS₂, WS₂, graphene □ Ferroelectric materials in FeFETs □ Phase-change materials and correlated oxides for switching 10. Making It Work at the System Level □ Monolithic 3D stacking (more transistors in less space) □ TSVs and wafer-level packaging □ Backside Power Delivery (like Intel PowerVia) □ Shorter, optimized interconnects = less loss, more I_D delivered Honestly, it’s wild how much effort has gone into squeezing every bit of performance out of this tiny switch. Think I missed a trick? Drop your thoughts or additions in the comments! #Semiconductors #Transistors #CMOS #FinFET #VLSI #EDA

Scientists have developed a new class of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, known as MXenes, by incorporating up to nine different metals into a single atomic layer. These ultrathin materials, just a few atoms thick, exhibit enhanced stability and performance under extreme conditions such as high temperatures and radiation. The research team, led by experts at Purdue University, utilized a process that combines entropy and enthalpy to design these high-entropy MXenes. By carefully selecting and arranging various metal atoms, they created nearly 40 distinct layered materials, each with unique properties tailored for specific applications. This approach allows for the fine-tuning of material characteristics at the atomic level. These advanced MXenes are particularly promising for use in environments where traditional materials fail. Potential applications include aerospace technologies, clean energy systems, and deep-sea exploration, where materials must withstand harsh conditions without degrading. The ability to design materials with such precision opens new avenues for innovation in various technological fields. This breakthrough represents a significant step forward in materials science, demonstrating how the strategic combination of metals at the nanoscale can lead to the development of materials with exceptional capabilities. Research Paper 📄 DOI:10.1126/science.adv4415

A Review on Sustainable Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Syntheses and Applications in Organic Catalysis and Environmental Remediation. Green Chem., 26, 7579-7655 (2024). Iron oxide nanoparticles have been intensively investigated owing to their huge potential as diagnostic, therapeutic, and drug-carrier agents in biomedicine, sorbents in environmental technologies, sensors of various inorganic and organic/biological substances, energy-generating and storing materials, and in assorted biotechnological and industrial processes involving microbiology, pigment industry, recording and magnetic media or (bio)catalysis. An eminent interest in exploring the realm of iron oxides is driven by their chemical and structural diversity, high abundance, low cost, non-toxicity, and broad portfolio of chemical procedures enabling their syntheses with desirable physicochemical features. The current review article centers its attention on the contemporary advancements in the field of catalysis and environmental technologies employing iron oxides in various chemical forms (e.g., hematite, magnetite, maghemite), sizes (∼10–100 nm), morphology characteristics (e.g., globular, needle-like), and nano architecture (e.g., nanoparticles, nanocomposites, core–shell structures). In particular, the catalytic applications of iron oxides and their hybrids are emphasized regarding their efficiency and selectivity in the coupling, oxidation, reduction, alkylation reactions, and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. The deployment of iron oxides and their nanocomposites in environmental and water treatment technologies is also deliberated with their roles as nanosorbents for heavy metals and organic pollutants, photocatalysts, and heterogeneous catalysts (e.g., hydrogen peroxide decomposition) for oxidative treatment of various contaminants. This tutorial review highlights the usefulness of nano iron oxides in assorted investigations and in developing sustainable methodologies. Read the tutorial review here: https://lnkd.in/gpP2_mGc

🌞 Photocatalysis: Turning Sunlight into Clean Energy & Pollution Solutions A breakthrough in 1972 by Fujishima and Honda showed that titanium dioxide (TiO₂) could split water under UV light launching the field of modern photocatalysis. Today, this light-driven process is shaping sustainable solutions for environmental and energy challenges. 🔬 How it works: When a photocatalyst absorbs light (hν ≥ bandgap), electrons jump to the conduction band, leaving behind holes. These charges drive key reactions: • e⁻ + O₂ → O₂⁻ (superoxide radicals) • h⁺ + H₂O → •OH (hydroxyl radicals) • Reactive oxygen species (ROS) break down pollutants into CO₂, H₂O, and simpler compounds ⚙️ Why it matters: ✔️ Uses renewable solar energy ✔️ Fully degrades pollutants (not just separates them) ✔️ Operates under ambient conditions ✔️ No added chemicals or external oxygen needed 🌍 Real-world applications: • Wastewater treatment (dyes, pharmaceuticals) • Air purification (VOC removal) • Hydrogen production (clean fuel) • Antimicrobial and self-cleaning surfaces 🚧 Challenges: • Fast electron–hole recombination → energy loss as heat • Limited solar use (TiO₂ active mainly under UV ~5%) • Stability and conductivity limitations 💡 Research innovations: • Visible-light catalysts (vanadates, sulfides, ferrites) • Heterojunctions for better charge separation • Doping & surface engineering • Catalyst immobilization for scalability 🌱 From breaking down pollutants to producing hydrogen, photocatalysis is unlocking the true potential of sunlight for a cleaner, more sustainable future. #DrMohamadAwadELNaggar #Photocatalysis #SolarEnergy #CleanEnergy #WaterTreatment #Nanotechnology #Sustainability #EnvironmentalScience #HydrogenEnergy #GreenTechnology #AdvancedMaterials