showing 11 related works from this author
On the Interaction between 1D Materials and Living Cells
2020
One-dimensional (1D) materials allow for cutting-edge applications in biology, such as single-cell bioelectronics investigations, stimulation of the cellular membrane or the cytosol, cellular capture, tissue regeneration, antibacterial action, traction force investigation, and cellular lysis among others. The extraordinary development of this research field in the last ten years has been promoted by the possibility to engineer new classes of biointerfaces that integrate 1D materials as tools to trigger reconfigurable stimuli/probes at the sub-cellular resolution, mimicking the in vivo protein fibres organization of the extracellular matrix. After a brief overview of the theoretical models r…
Emerging switchable ultraviolet photoluminescence in dehydrated Zn/Al layered double hydroxide nanoplatelets
2019
AbstractLayered double hydroxides show intriguing physical and chemical properties arising by their intrinsic self-assembled stacking of molecular-thick 2D nanosheets, enhanced active surface area, hosting of guest species by intercalation and anion exchanging capabilities. Here, we report on the unprecedented emerging intense ultraviolet photoluminescence in Zn/Al layered double hydroxide high-aspect-ratio nanoplatelets, which we discovered to be fully activated by drying under vacuum condition and thermal desorption as well. Photoluminescence and its quenching were reproducibly switched by a dehydration–hydration process. Photoluminescence properties were comprehensively evaluated, such a…
Layered Double Hydroxides
2020
The impact of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) within the multidisciplinary fields of materials sciences, physics, chemistry, and biology is rapidly growing, given their easiness of synthesis, flexibility in composition, tunable biocompatibility and morphology. LDHs constitute a versatile platform for the realization of new classes of functional systems, showing unique enhanced surface effects and unprecedented properties for application in very different fields, namely, surface chemistry and catalysis, storage and triggered release of functional anions, flame retardants, drug delivery and nanomedicine, remediation, energy storage and conversion. These systems can be synthesized as self-ass…
Layered Double Hydroxides in Bioinspired Nanotechnology
2020
Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs) are a relevant class of inorganic lamellar nanomaterials that have attracted significant interest in life science-related applications, due to their highly controllable synthesis and high biocompatibility. Under a general point of view, this class of materials might have played an important role for the origin of life on planet Earth, given their ability to adsorb and concentrate life-relevant molecules in sea environments. It has been speculated that the organic–mineral interactions could have permitted to organize the adsorbed molecules, leading to an increase in their local concentration and finally to the emergence of life. Inspired by nature, material s…
Printing ZnO Inks: From Principles to Devices
2020
Solution-based printing approaches permit digital designs to be converted into physical objects by depositing materials in a layer-by-layer additive fashion from microscale to nanoscale resolution. The extraordinary adaptability of this technology to different inks and substrates has received substantial interest in the recent literature. In such a context, this review specifically focuses on the realization of inks for the deposition of ZnO, a well-known wide bandgap semiconductor inorganic material showing an impressive number of applications in electronic, optoelectronic, and piezoelectric devices. Herein, we present an updated review of the latest advancements on the ink formulations an…
Self-Cleaning ZnO Nanosheets for Piezoelectric Sensors
2022
The design of wearable sensors coupling versatile analytical detection to self-cleaning is a highly desired combination, tackling the need of smart devices in response to the recent virus pandemics. To this aim, this work shows ZnO nanostructures obtained by a mild wet-chemistry approach onto ITO/PET flexible supports, resulting in wearable piezoelectric sensors exhibiting photocatalytic activity. ITO surfaces are treated with 0.5 mM KMnO4 aqueous solution (20 minutes, 90°C); ZnO growth is subsequently carried out by a previously shown wet-chemistry method [1]. SEM analysis shows the presence of a good surface coverage of ZnO nanosheets (NSs) (about 1.5 NSs/μm2) in the case of treated ITO, …
Self-cleaning ZnO/ITO/PET Bending Sensors
2022
The design of multifunctional materials is of pivotal importance for developing wearable biosensors. In particular, the advancement in self-cleaning materials suitable for bending sensors, i.e. devices able to track human body movements for healthcare monitoring [1], has raised much interest in recent pandemic times. Such technology can be facilitated by leveraging piezo-photocatalytic cleaning effects under visible light [2]. Herein, we show a new class of ZnO-based nanosheets (NSs) synthesized in aqueous solution (85 °C, 24 hours) onto seeded or seedless ITO/PET surfaces that couple sensing to photocatalysis. UV-vis and FT-IR spectroscopies show the typical absorption peaks of ZnO. A nano…
Self-Cleaning Bending Sensors Based on Semitransparent ZnO Nanostructured Films
2023
The design of multifunctional nanostructured materials is the key to the development of smart wearable devices. For instance, nanostructures endowed with both piezoelectric and photocatalytic activities could well be the workhorse for solar-light-driven self-cleaning wearable sensors. In this work, a simple strategy for the assembly of a flexible, semitransparent piezophotocatalytic system is demonstrated by leveraging rational wet chemistry synthesis of ZnO-based nanosheets/nanoflowers (NSs/NFs) under basic pH conditions onto flexible ITO/PET supports. A KMnO4 pretreatment before the ZnO synthesis (seeded ZnO) allows for the control of the density, size, and orientation of the NSs/NFs syst…
Overview of the JET results in support to ITER
2017
The 2014–2016 JET results are reviewed in the light of their significance for optimising the ITER research plan for the active and non-active operation. More than 60 h of plasma operation with ITER first wall materials successfully took place since its installation in 2011. New multi-machine scaling of the type I-ELM divertor energy flux density to ITER is supported by first principle modelling. ITER relevant disruption experiments and first principle modelling are reported with a set of three disruption mitigation valves mimicking the ITER setup. Insights of the L–H power threshold in Deuterium and Hydrogen are given, stressing the importance of the magnetic configurations and the recent m…
Vertically Aligned Nanowires and Quantum Dots: Promises and Results in Light Energy Harvesting
2023
The synthesis of crystals with a high surface-to-volume ratio is essential for innovative, high-performance electronic devices and sensors. The easiest way to achieve this in integrated devices with electronic circuits is through the synthesis of high-aspect-ratio nanowires aligned vertically to the substrate surface. Such surface structuring is widely employed for the fabrication of photoanodes for solar cells, either combined with semiconducting quantum dots or metal halide perovskites. In this review, we focus on wet chemistry recipes for the growth of vertically aligned nanowires and technologies for their surface functionalization with quantum dots, highlighting the procedures that yie…
Layered Double Hydroxides: A Toolbox for Chemistry and Biology
2019
Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are an emergent class of biocompatible inorganic lamellar nanomaterials that have attracted significant research interest owing to their high surface-to-volume ratio, the capability to accumulate specific molecules, and the timely release to targets. Their unique properties have been employed for applications in organic catalysis, photocatalysis, sensors, drug delivery, and cell biology. Given the widespread contemporary interest in these topics, time-to-time it urges to review the recent progresses. This review aims to summarize the most recent cutting-edge reports appearing in the last years. It firstly focuses on the application of LDHs as catalysts in re…