Items Tagged With Catalysis

Silver single crystals were synthesised on a large-scale in water at room temperature in the presence of carboxyl-functionalised carbon nanotubes, without any additional reducing agent, microwave, sonication or irradiations.

Scientists from the research centre Forschungszentrum Rossendorf in Dresden use the survival mechanism of special bacteria to produce solid nanoclusters out of palladium. Thus, bacteria-based nanoclusters seem to be ideally suited for building new nano-catalysts.

The International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON) today issued a comprehensive review of existing efforts to develop “best practices” for handling nanomaterials in the workplace. The work was performed by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) as part of a two-phase project to catalogue how industry is managing the potential occupational safety risks posed by nanomaterials.

Researchers at the US Department of Energy&rsqo;s Argonne National Laboratory have developed an advanced concept in nanoscale catalyst engineering—a combination of experiments and simulations that will bring polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells for hydrogen-powered vehicles closer to massive commercialisation.

Regulatory oversight of nanotechnology is urgently needed and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should act now, reports a new study released today. In EPA and Nanotechnology: Oversight for the 21st Century, former EPA assistant administrator for policy, planning and evaluation, J. Clarence (Terry) Davies, provides a roadmap for a new EPA to better handle the challenges of nanotechnology. New nanomaterials and nanotechnology products are entering the market each week, and an adequate oversight system is necessary to identify and minimize any adverse effects of nano materials and products on health or the environment. Davies’ report sets out an agenda for creating an effective oversight system as nanotechnology advances—the technology that some have hailed as “the next industrial revolution.”