Newswise — Researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a groundbreaking technology using clay-based microscopic materials, known as nanoclays, which holds immense promise for the field of synthetic materials chemistry. These nanoclays possess a uniquely electrically charged surface, making them highly versatile for tailoring chemical layers to perform specific tasks as required by individual researchers. The potential applications of these nanoclays span a wide range of fields, including medicine and environmental science.
Gary Baker, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and co-principal investigator of the project, offered a helpful analogy to grasp the concept. He likened the nanoclays to a koosh ball, with numerous rubber strands extending from the core, each sporting an electrically charged bead at the end. This electrical charge plays a crucial role, much like magnets, as positively charged nanoclays can attract and interact with negatively charged substances, and vice versa.
For instance, positively charged nanoclays could be employed to attract and capture harmful fluorinated chemicals like PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," which carry a negative charge. Similarly, by rendering the nanoclays negatively charged, they can effectively bind with positively charged heavy metal ions like cadmium, facilitating their removal from contaminated bodies of water.
The ability to customize the chemical properties of nanoclays based on specific research objectives opens up exciting possibilities for various practical applications, making them a crucial component in the development of advanced synthetic materials with diverse functions.
Apart from their electrically charged surface, each nanoclay can be uniquely tailored by incorporating different chemical components, akin to mixing and matching various building blocks. This exceptional feature renders nanoclays highly versatile, finding practical applications in the creation of diagnostic sensors for biomedical imaging and the detection of explosives and ordnance.
As described by Gary Baker, these nanoclays are essentially chemical building blocks, deliberately designed with specific functions that can be assembled into incredibly thin, two-dimensional microscopic sheets. Remarkably, these sheets are thinner than a single strand of human DNA and are approximately 100,000 times thinner than a standard sheet of paper. The beauty of this technology lies in the ability to customize both the function and shape of the chemical components at the surface of the nanoclays, enabling the creation of virtually any desired structure.
With this groundbreaking capability, researchers have just begun to scratch the surface of the potential applications these materials can offer. The possibilities appear limitless, and nanoclays hold the potential to revolutionize various fields by unleashing their remarkable properties in ways we are yet to explore fully.
The high demand for two-dimensional materials arises from their ability to form a thin, conformal layer on the outer surface of bulky objects, introducing entirely different surface properties compared to the underlying object.
According to Gary Baker, through the clever combination of various elements such as different ions or gold nanoparticles, they can rapidly create new chemical compositions that have never been seen before. This tailored approach unlocks a broad spectrum of potential applications.
The research titled "Surface programmable polycationic nanoclay supports yielding 100,000 per hour turnover frequencies for a nanocatalyzed canonical nitroarene reduction" was recently published in the ACS Applied Engineering Materials, a journal by the American Chemical Society. The co-authors include Nathaniel Larm from the United States Naval Academy, Durgesh Wagle from Florida Gulf Coast University, and Piyuni Ishtaweera and Angira Roy from MU. It's important to note that the views expressed in the content solely belong to the authors and do not represent the official views of the U.S. government.
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