Advanced Characterization of Nanostructured Materials — Probing the Structure and Dynamics with Synchrotron X-Rays and Neutrons is a collection of chapters which review the characterization of the structure and internal dynamics of a wide variety of nanostructured materials using various synchrotron X-ray and neutron scattering techniques. It is intended for graduate students and researchers who might be interested in learning about and applying these methods. The authors are well-known practitioners in their fields of research who provide detailed and authoritative accounts of how these techniques have been applied to study systems ranging from thin films and monolayers on solid surfaces and at liquid-air, liquid-liquid and solid-liquid interfaces; nanostructured composite materials; battery materials, and catalytic materials. While there have been a great many books published on nanoscience, there are relatively few that have discussed in one volume detailed synchrotron X-ray and neutron methods for advanced characterization of nanomaterials in thin films, composite materials, catalytic and battery materials and at interfaces. This book should provide an incentive and a reference for researchers in nanomaterials for using these techniques as a powerful way to characterize their samples. It should also help to popularize the use of synchrotron and neutron facilities by the nanoscience community.

World Scientific Reference on Plasmonic Nanomaterials: Principles, Design and Bio-applications is a book collection that encompasses multiple aspects of the exciting and timely field of nanoplasmonics, under the coordination of international plasmonic nanomaterials expert, Dr Luis Liz-Marzán. Plasmonics has a long history, from stained glass in ancient cathedrals, through pioneering investigations by Michael Faraday, all the way into the nanotechnology era, where it blossomed into an extremely active field of research with potential applications in a wide variety of technologies.Given the breadth of the materials, phenomena and applications related to plasmonics, this Reference Set offers a collection of chapters within dedicated volumes, focusing on the description of selected phenomena, with an emphasis in chemistry as an enabling tool for the fabrication of, often sophisticated, plasmonic nanoarchitectures and biomedicine as the target application.Basic principles of surface plasmon resonances are described, as well as those mechanisms related to related phenomena such as surface-enhanced spectroscopies or plasmonic chirality. Under the guidance of theoretical models, wet chemistry methods have been implemented toward the synthesis of a wide variety of nanoparticles with different compositions and tailored morphology. But often the optimal nanoarchitecture requires post-synthesis treatments, including functionalization of nanoparticle surfaces, application of external stimuli toward self-assembly into well-defined supraparticle structures and so-called supercrystals. All such nanomaterials can find applications in various biomedical aspects, most often in relation to diagnosis, through either the detection of disease biomarkers at extremely low concentrations or the design of bioimaging methods for in vivo monitoring. Additionally, novel therapeutic tools can also profit from plasmonic nanomaterials, such as photothermal therapy or nanocatalysis.The reference set thus offers comprehensive information of an extremely active subset within the world of plasmonic nanomaterials and their applications, which aims at not just collecting existing knowledge but also promoting further research and technology transfer into the market and the clinic.

Water is an indispensable resource for our society. Essential to sustaining life and economic prosperity, water is also the basic component for manufacturing almost everything to keep society alive, including energy, food, clothing, cars, and electronics, among many other examples. It is, thus, an integral part of our lives beyond simply quenching our thirst. In addition, our future economy and security highly depend upon the availability of clean water. Yet given its critical importance, there is a limited supply of renewable freshwater across the globe and there is no substitute. Global population and economic growth, urbanization, and climate change further exacerbate the increasing stress on freshwater supplies. As such, society urgently needs to find the scientific and engineering solutions to more efficiently manage our precious water resources. The volumes of this multi-volume reference cover the latest scientific advancements and solutions in managing and treating this crucial resource.Related Link(s)

Fifth volume of a 40 volume series on nanoscience and nanotechnology, edited by the renowned scientist Challa S.S.R. Kumar. This handbook gives a comprehensive overview about X-ray and Neutron Techniques for Nanomaterials Characterization. Modern applications and state-of-the-art techniques are covered and make this volume an essential reading for research scientists in academia and industry.

Nowadays, nanomaterials are attracting huge attentions not only from a basic research point of view but also for their potential applications. Since finding the structure-property-processing relationships can open new windows in the application of materials, the material characterizations play a crucial role in the research and development of materials science. The increasing demand for energy with the necessity to find alternative renewable and sustainable energy sources leads to the rapid growth in attention to energy materials. In this book, the results of some outstanding researches on synchrotron-based characterization of nanostructured materials related to energy applications are presented.

Besides its coverage of the four important aspects of synchrotron sources, materials and material processes, measuring techniques, and applications, this ready reference presents both important method types: diffraction and tomography. Following an introduction, a general section leads on to methods, while further sections are devoted to emerging methods and industrial applications. In this way, the text provides new users of large-scale facilities with easy access to an understanding of both the methods and opportunities offered by different sources and instruments.

The complexity of nanostructured materials presents challenging difficulties in characterization using conventional techniques. For example, conventional x-ray diffraction may not provide accurate information on the structure (solid solution or phase separation) of nanostructured materials. Complementary advanced characterization methods are often required in the detailed understanding of structures. In this paper we report our work on characterization of two nanostructured systems, namely, AgNi powder and NiCo films, using synchrotron radiation techniques of x-ray diffraction, anomalous x-ray scattering and x-ray absorption spectroscopy.