Fabrication and application of novel functional nanomaterials in device technology

[Truncated] Over the past few decades, metal nanoparticle carbon nanomaterial hybrids have been comprehensively studied and have found various potential applications in science and technology. To this end, a stable well dispersed suspension of carbon nanomaterial in aqueous medium was developed for further decoration with metal nanoparticle and eventual incorporation into sensor.

Phosphonated acid calix(n)arene (n=4,5,6,8) and pyrene conjugated hyaluronan have been used to stabilise carbon nanomaterials in aqueous medium. They act as a surfactant wrapping around the carbon nanomaterial providing extended arm to capture the metal ions which can then be reduced to metal nanoparticles. The use of calixarenes is important to control the size of metal nanoparticles attached as well as their distribution onto the carbon nanomaterials. Alternatively, plasma treatment was employed to functionalise carbon nanomaterials forming a stable suspension in aqueous.

A versatile and facile technique was developed in decorating carbon nanomaterial with noble metal nanoparticles (Ag, Au, Pd and Pt). This was achieved using Vortex fluidic device to generate shear flow in dynamic thin films improving the mixing of the reagent to produce uniformly distributed small metal nanoparticle decorated carbon nanomaterials.