The modification of materials/surfaces is central to numerous applications ranging from opto-electronic devices to biomedical implants and drug delivery. Thus, there exists a high motivation for improving the methodologies which can be employed in order to modify surfaces in a selective and efficient fashion. One of the major goals of surface engineering is to control the chemical composition at the material interface. The fine control of the surface properties is a field of intense research as the performance of functional materials is strongly related to the processes and interactions that are occurring at the materials' interface. In general, the modification or transformation of surfaces can be achieved via various chemical and physical methods. Although there is a general need for simple and convenient methods to covalently conjugate a molecule of interest to a surface, no single coupling strategy has been broadly adopted. Instead, numerous strategies have been reported in the literature. In an attempt to develop novel strategies to prepare functional materials via surface modifications we examined the potential of a series of photochemical and thermal reactions for such purposes. Methods described in this thesis are divided into two categories: Photochemical and Thermal. In the first chapter, these strategies are introduced. Since many of the modification methods deal with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), a review of their properties and synthesis methods are also included. Two chapters (chapter 2 and 3) are devoted to the potential of diazirine for photochemical modification of materials and nanomaterials. In chapter 2, diazirine is employed to prepare robust hydrophobic cotton and paper surfaces by coating them with a highly fluorinated phosphonium salt using diazirine as the tether. In chapter 3, the same photochemical modification strategy is extended to nanomaterials by incorporating diazirine onto the surface of water soluble AuNPs. The synthesis and characterization of diazirine-AuNPs is described and it is demonstrated that upon irradiation, the photo generated carbene can be used for the insertion reaction which leads to interfacially modified AuNPs. Starting with chapter 4, we focus on click-type and more biologically friendly reactions for surface modification of water soluble AuNPs. Chapter 4 reports our efforts towards modification of small water soluble AuNPs using maleimide interfacial functionality. Both 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition and Diels Alder reactions are studied. In chapter 5, a novel strategy for modification of AuNPs via strain-promoted alkyne-nitrone cycloaddition (SPANC) is introduced. Nitrone functionalized AuNPs are synthesized and characterized. It is demonstrated in this chapter that one can take advantage of the nitrone moiety for interfacial SPANC (i-SPANC) reaction to prepare 18F-radiolabeled AuNPs with potential applications in positron emission tomography (PET). In the second part of chapter 5, the i-SPANC method is further extended to material chemistry by preparing AuNP-carbon nanotube (AuNP-CNT) hybrid nanomaterials.

This e-book is a suitable reference on the technical and scientific competence related to effective application and integration of cool materials in the built environment. The e-book is an overview on the following: • The role of cool materials in the built environment. • Major cool materials techniques and their benefits and drawbacks. • Research trends in cool materials for the built environment. • Technical guidelines for instrumentation, testing and rating of cool materials. • Policy and economic aspects of cool materials necessary for the management of built environments. • Case studies where the cool materials are implemented. This e-book is a suitable reference on the technical and scientific competence related to effective application and integration of cool materials in the built environment. The e-book is an overview on the following: • The role of cool materials in the built environment. • Major cool materials techniques and their benefits and drawbacks. • Research trends in cool materials for the built environment. • Technical guidelines for instrumentation, testing and rating of cool materials. • Policy and economic aspects of cool materials necessary for the management of built environments. • Case studies where the cool materials are implemented.

The urban climate is continuously deteriorating. Urban heat lowers the quality of urban life, increases energy needs, and affects the urban socio-economy. Urban Climate Mitigation Techniques presents steps that can be taken to mitigate this situation through a series of innovative technologies and examples of best practices for the improvement of the urban climate. Including tools for evaluation and a comparative analysis, this book addresses anthropogenic heat, green areas, cool materials and pavements, outdoor shading structures, evaporative cooling and earth cooling. Case studies demonstrate the success and applicability of these measures in various cities throughout the world. Useful for urban designers, architects and planners, Urban Climate Mitigation Techniques is a step by step tour of the innovative technologies improving our urban climate, providing a holistic approach supported by well-established quantitative examples.

Bioanalytical science and its technological subdomain, biosensors, are ever-evolving subjects, striving for rapid improvement in terms of performance and expanding the target range to meet the vast societal and market demands. The key performance factors for a biosensor that drive the research are selectivity, sensitivity, response time, accuracy, and reproducibility, with additional requirements of its portability and inexpensive nature. These performance factors are largely governed by the materials and techniques being used in these bioanalytical platforms. The selection of materials to meet these requirements is critical, as their interaction or involvement with the biological recognition elements should initiate or improve these performance factors. The technique discussed primarily applies to transducers involved in converting a biochemical signal to optical or electrical signals. Over the years, the emergence of novel materials and techniques has drastically improved the performance of these bioanalytical systems, enabling them to expand their analytical horizon. These advanced materials and techniques are central to modern bioanalytical and biosensor research. Advanced Materials and Techniques for Biosensors and Bioanalytical Applications provides a comprehensive review of the subject, including a knowledge platform for both academics and researchers. Considering biosensors as a central theme to this book, an outline on this subject with background principles has been included, with a scope of extending the utility of the book to coursework in graduate and postgraduate schools. Features: • Basic principles on different classes of biosensors, recent advances and applications • Smart materials for biosensors and other rapid, portable detection devices • Metal nanoparticles and nanocrystals for analytical applications • Carbon-based nanoparticles and quantum dots for sensing applications • Nanozymes as potential catalysts for sensing applications • Bioelectrochemiluminescence and photoelectrochemical-based biosensors • Paper electronics and paper-based biosensors • Microbial biosensors: artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and synthetic biology • Biofuel cells as a signal transduction platform • FET-based biosensors, including ISFET and BioFET This book serves as a reference for scientific investigators and a textbook for a graduate-level course in biosensors and advanced bioanalytical techniques.