In recent years the Japanese have funded a comprehensive study of carbon materials which incorporate other elements including boron, nitrogen and fluorine, hence the title of the project "Carbon Alloys". Coined in 1992, the phrase "Carbon Alloys" can be applied to those materials mainly composed of carbon materials in multi-component systems. The carbon atoms of each component have a physical and/or chemical interactive relationship with other atoms or compounds. The carbon atoms of the components may have different hybrid bonding orbitals to create quite different carbon components. Eiichi Yasuda and his team consider the definition of Carbon Alloys, present the results of the Carbon Alloys projects, describe typical Carbon Alloys and their uses, discuss recent techniques for their characterization, and finally, illustrate potential applications and future developments for Carbon Alloy science. The book contains over thirty chapters on these studies from as many researchers. The most modern of techniques, particularly in the area of spectroscopy, were used as diagnostic tools, and many of these are applicable to pure carbons also. Porosity in carbons received considerable attention.

The discovery of fullerenes and nanotubes has greatly stimulated the interest of scientists and engineers in carbon materials, and has resulted in much scientific research. These materials have provided us with many interesting ideas and potential applications, some of them practical and some simply dreams for the future. In the early 1960s, carbon fibers, glass-like carbons and pyrolytic carbons were developed which were quite different from the carbon materials that had previously been used. Carbon fibers exhibited surprisingly good mechanical properties, glass-like carbons exhibited brittle fracture resulting in a conchoidal fracture surface similar to sodium glass, and giving no carbon dust, and pyrolytic carbons were produced by a new production process of chemical vapour deposition and showed very high anisotropy. These carbons materials made a great impact not only on the carbon community who had been working on carbon materials but also on people working in the fields of materials science and engineering. They were used to develop a variety of new applications in technological fields, such as semiconductors, microelectronics, aerospace and high temperature, etc. These newly developed carbon materials were called NEW CARBONS, in comparison with carbon materials such as artificial graphites represented by graphite electrodes, carbon blacks and activated carbons, which maybe thought of as CLASSICAL CARBONS. Later, other new carbons, such as activated carbons and those with novel functions, isotropic high-density graphites, intercalation compounds, various composites, etc., were developed. In 1994, Professor Michio Inagaki published a book entitled "New Carbon Materials — Structure and Functions" with his friend Professor Yoshihiro Hishiyama of Musashi Institute of Technology, published by Gihoudou Shuppan in Japanese. However, progress in the fields of these new carbons is so rapid that the previous book is already out of date. For this reason the author has decided to write an English text on New Carbons. The text focuses on New Carbons based on hexagonal networks of carbon-atoms, i.e. graphite-related materials. The fundamental concept underlying this book is that the structure and functions of these materials are principally governed by their texture. The aim is to give readers a comprehensive understanding of New Carbons through the description of their structure and texture, along with the properties that are largely dependent on them.

Despite the fact that nanotechnology has been present for a few decades, there is a big gap between how nanotechnology is perceived and what nanotechnology can truly offer in all sectors of water. The question to be answered is 'what more can we expect from nanotechnology' in the water field? The rational nano-design starts with well-defined problem definitions, necessitates interdisciplinary approaches, involves 'think-outside-the-box', and represents the future growth point of environmental nanotechnology. However, it is still largely new to the educated public and even scientists and engineers in water fields. Therefore, it is the purpose of this book to promote the concept of rational nano-design and to demonstrate its creativity, innovation, and excitement. This book presents a series of carefully selected rationally designed nano- materials/devices/surfaces, which represent drastically different, ground-breaking, and eye-opening approaches to conventional problems to embody the concept of nano-design and to illustrate its remarkable potential to change the face of the research in water industry in the future. Each of the book contributors is world-renowned expert in the burgeoning field of rational nano-design for applications. Rational Design of Next-generation Nanomaterials and Nanodevices for Water Applications is intended for undergraduates, graduates, scientists and professionals in the fields of environmental science, material science, chemistry, and chemistry engineering. It provides coherent and good material for teaching, research, and professional reference. Contents: Introduction to rational nano-design for water applications; Rational design of smart materials/surfaces with switchable oil wettability for sustainable oil-spill cleanup; Rational design of three-dimensional macroscale porous electrodes for bioelectrochemical systems; Design of (photo)electrochemical active membranes as next-generation filtration devices; Hierarchical materials as a design concept for multifunctional membranes; Rational design of functional nanoporous materials to confine water pollutant in controlled nano-space; A next-generation forward osmosis draw solution design; Rational design of magnetic permanently-confined micelle arrays (Mag-PCMAs) materials for sustainable water and soil remediation; Rational design of an all-in-one lab-on-chip device for direct seawater desalination; Design of micro-sized microbial fuel cells as miniature energy harvesters Author: Peng Wang, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

With the development of the scanning tunneling microscope, nanoscience became an important discipline. Single atoms could be manipulated in a controlled manner, and it became possible to change matter at its 'ultimate' level; it is the level on which the properties of matter emerge. This possibility enables to construct and to produce devices, materials, etc. with very small sizes and completely new properties. That opens up new perspectives for technology and is in particular relevant in connection with nano-engineering.Nanosystems are unimaginably small and very fast. No doubt, this is an important characteristic. But there is another feature, possibly more relevant, in connection with nanoscience and nanotechnology. The essential point here is that we work at the 'ultimate level'. This is the smallest level at which the properties of our world emerge, at which functional matter can exist. In particular, at this level biological individuality comes into existence. This situation can be expressed in absolute terms: This is not only the strongest material ever made, this is the strongest material it will ever be possible to make (D Ratner and M Ratner, Nanotechnology and Homeland Security). This is a very general statement. All aspects of matter are concerned here. Through the variation of the composition various forms of matter emerge with different items.Nanosystems are usually small, but they offer nevertheless the possibility to vary the structure of atomic (molecular) ensembles, creating a diversity of new material-specific properties. A large variety of experimental possibilities come into play and flexible theoretical tools are needed at the basic level. This is reflected in the different disciplines: In nanoscience and nanotechnology we have various directions: Materials science, functional nanomaterials, nanoparticles, food chemistry, medicine with brain research, quantum and molecular computing, bioinformatics, magnetic nanostructures, nano-optics, nano-electronics, etc.The properties of matter, which are involved within these nanodisciplines, are ultimate in character, i.e., their characteristic properties come into existence at this level. The book is organized in this respect.

Micro and nano devices are an integral part of modern technology. To address the requirements of the state-of-the-art technology, topics are selected from both chip-based and flexible electronics. A wide range of carbon materials including graphene, carbon nanotube, glass-like carbon, porous carbon, carbon black, graphite, carbon nanofiber, laser-patterned carbon and heteroatom containing carbon are covered. This goal is to elucidate fundamental carbon material science along with compatible micro- and nanofabrication techniques. Real-life example of sensors, energy storage and generation devices, MEMS, NEMS and implantable bioelectronics enable visualization of the outcome of described processes. Students will also benefit from the attractive aspects of carbon science explained in simple terms. Hybridization, allotrope classification and microstructural models are presented with a whole new outlook. Discussions on less-studied, hypothetical and undiscovered carbon forms render the contents futuristic and highly appealing.

Materials Nanoarchitectonics: From Integrated Molecular Systems to Advanced Devices provides the latest information on the design and molecular manipulation of self-organized hierarchically structured systems using tailor-made nanoscale materials as structural and functional units. The book is organized into three main sections that focus on molecular design of building blocks and hybrid materials, formation of nanostructures, and applications and devices. Bringing together emerging materials, synthetic aspects, nanostructure strategies, and applications, the book aims to support further progress, by offering different perspectives and a strong interdisciplinary approach to this rapidly growing area of innovation. This is an extremely valuable resource for researchers, advanced students, and scientists in industry, with an interest in nanoarchitectonics, nanostructures, and nanomaterials, or across the areas of nanotechnology, chemistry, surface science, polymer science, electrical engineering, physics, chemical engineering, and materials science. Offers a nanoarchitectonic perspective on emerging fields, such as metal-organic frameworks, porous polymer materials, or biomimetic nanostructures Discusses different approaches to utilizing "soft chemistry" as a source for hierarchically organized materials Offers an interdisciplinary approach to the design and construction of integrated chemical nano systems Discusses novel approaches towards the creation of complex multiscale architectures