Colloqui
Classe di Scienze
ore
15.00
Scuola Normale
Superiore
Pisa
(Aula
Stemmi)
Maurizio
Prato
Università di Trieste
Terrà
un seminario dal titolo:
“Carbon
Nanotubes: Novel Materials for Materials Science and
Bionanotechnology”
Abstract:
Nanometer-scale
structures represent a novel and intriguing field, where scientists and
engineers manipulate materials at the atomic and molecular levels to produce
innovative
materials for composites, electronic, sensing, and biomedical applications.
Carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes constitute a relatively new class
of materials exhibiting exceptional mechanical and electronic properties and are
also promising candidates for gas storage and drug delivery. However, processing
carbon nanotubes is severely limited by a number of inherent problems:
purification from a variety of byproducts, difficult manipulation and low
solubility in organic solvents and in water are only some of these problems. For
these reasons, several strategies
have been devised to make nanotubes “easier” materials.Covalent
and supramolecular functionalization of carbon nanostructures are the
basic synthetic techniques for solubilization and use in different fields such
as donor-acceptor systems or drug delivery. The combination of nanotubes with
various electron donors has led to a new generation of donor-acceptor
nanohybrids which can be used for the development of carbon-based photovoltaic
cells. Upon illumination, these systems give rise to fast charge separation and
slow charge recombination. The first results are very promising and further
research in this field to obtain practical conversion of light energy into
electricity is not only justified but also desirable.
Also in biomedical applications carbon nanotubes are set to play an important
role. Their use as drug delivery scaffolds and substrates for vaccines has
already been demonstrated. Nanotubes functionalized with bioactive moieties are
particularly suited for targeted drug delivery. In fact, not only they become
less toxic, but also exhibit a high propensity to cross cell membranes. The use
of carbon nanotubes as active substrates for neuronal growth has given so far
very exciting results. Not only nanotubes are compatible with neurons, but they
play a very interesting role in interneuron communication.The chemical
modification of carbon nanotubes is a very young field, but the nanotubes
represent today a class of materials expected to play a significant role in
innovative discoveries. Future studies will determine the opportunities as well
as the limitations of such materials.
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