Nanomaterials have been an emerging œeld of research due to the novel properties exhibited when the size of building blocks is reduced below 100 nm. Several size-dependent phenomena make nanomaterials attractive in terms of potential applicability compared to their larger-sized counterparts, justifying the importance and attention of this research.1-3 For thermoelectric research, nanomaterials are of great interest due to the possibility of decoupling electrical and thermal transport properties which may help attain higher ZT values for the currently available materials.4,5 še commonly accepted nomenclature of nanomaterials is based on the number of degrees of freedom of charge carriers for the description of their dimensionalities. šus, a thin œlm or superlattice is conœned in one dimension, but is a 2D nanomaterial. Similarly, a nanowire is conœned in two dimensions, hence is a 1D nanomaterial, and œnally a nanoparticle is conœned in three dimensions and is therefore a 0D nanomaterial. In the case of larger nanocrystals (not quantum conœned), the size and shape of the nanocrystals also affect their properties due to differences in surface-to-volume ratio. Bulk nanostructured (NS) TE materials are fabricated using a bulk process rather than a nanofabrication process, which has the important advantage of being produced in large quantities and in a form that is compatible with commercially available devices.6 šey are different from the advanced low-dimensional TE materials as they are consolidated under high T and P, resulting in larger-sized (40-200 nm) grains. še advanced low-dimensional TE materials are usually in quantum size and have well-deœned shapes such as rod-like or tube-like structures. še nanoeffects of bulk NS TE materials will not be as strong as in the case of advanced low-dimensional TE materials, but since the material is closer to bulk material, it can be easily handled the same way as bulk TE materials using conventional TE module/device technology for further steps toward direct applications. So far, of all the NS materials, only bulk NS materials have been produced in enough quantity to be used in this manner. 

Spherical CdSe-CdS core-shell quantum dots (QDs) are found to be flexible in the transition between the type-I regime and the type-II regime with different core/shell dimensions. The quasi-type-II feature of the colloidal dots is confirmed with time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) measurements. Two recombination paths of the excitons with significantly different decay rates are observed and analyzed. The spherical CdSe-CdS core-shell QDs are numerically simulated to investigate the carrier separation. A relatively long radiative lifetime and high degree of spatial carrier separation provide good potential to achieve lasing under continuous-wave excitation. Amplified spontaneous emission at room temperature is detected from the QDs embedded in the polymer matrix. It is shown that a larger shell thickness results in a lower pumping threshold, while a smaller shell thickness leads to higher PL efficiency.

Thermoelectric (TE) devices can harvest residual low-grade waste heat energy. Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) and its alloys are mostly used TE materials in the bulk form for making TE modules. We report a simple, fast and very high yield synthetic process for the bulk Bi2Te3 nanopowders with hexagonal plate like morphology. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) process has been optimized in order to preserve nanostructure while achieving a high compaction density of the pellets. Electron microscopy analysis was used to determine the effect of SPS parameters during compaction on the grain growth. Optimal conditions for the fabricated nanopowder was determined as 673 K, 70 MPa pressure with no holding time, which resulted in average lateral grain size in the range of 165-190 nm for a compact density of 98%. About 50% reduction of thermal conductivity was observed as compared to its bulk counterparts, revealing the feasibility of suggested route in the preservation of nanostructure and enhanced phonon scattering.

A key issue to develop low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LTSOFCs) is to develop new electrolyte materials with enhanced ionic conductivity. Recently, SDC/Na2CO3 nanocomposite, as a proton and oxide co-ion conductor, has been developed as promising electrolyte candidates for LTSOFCs, where Na2CO3 as the secondary phase performs several crucial functions. However, it's difficult to control the homogeneity of Na 2CO3 phase in the composite by the current methods for composite fabrication. In this study, we report a new freeze drying technique to fabricate SDC/Na2CO3 nanocomposites with different content of Na2CO3. Structural and morphological study confirmed that the homogeneity of both SDC and Na2CO3 phases in the nanocomposite is well controlled by the freeze drying technique. The effect of Na2CO3 content on proton and oxygen ion conductivities of SDC-carbonate samples were investigated by the four-probe d.c. measurement. Proton conductivity transformation around 350 °C has been observed for all the SDC/Na2CO3 nanocomposites due to the glass transition of amorphous Na2CO3 phase, and the proton conductivity is dependent on Na2CO3 content. While oxygen ion conductivity deceases with the increasing of Na2CO3 volume fraction in the nanocomposite. Finally, SOFCs were fabricated using SDC/Na2CO3 nanocomposite samples and tested for electrochemical performances. The excellent performance of SOFCs using SDC/Na2CO3 nanocomposite electrolyte verifies that nanocomposite approach is an effective way to fabricate electrolyte with enhanced ionic conductivity for LTSOFCs.

Bismuth telluride (Bi(2)Te(3)) is the best-known commercially used thermoelectric material in the bulk form for cooling and power generation applications at ambient temperature. However, its dimensionless figure-of-merit-ZT around 1 limits the large-scale industrial applications. Recent studies indicate that nanostructuring can enhance ZT while keeping the material form of bulk by employing an advanced synthetic process accompanied with novel consolidation techniques. Here, we report on bulk nanostructured (NS) undoped Bi(2)Te(3) prepared via a promising chemical synthetic route. Spark plasma sintering has been employed for compaction and sintering of Bi(2)Te(3) nanopowders, resulting in very high densification (>97%) while preserving the nanostructure. The average grain size of the final compacts was obtained as 90 +/- 5 nm as calculated from electron micrographs. Evaluation of transport properties showed enhanced Seebeck coefficient (-120 mu V K(-1)) and electrical conductivity compared to the literature state-of-the-art (30% enhanced power factor), especially in the low temperature range. An improved ZT for NS bulk undoped Bi(2)Te(3) is achieved with a peak value of similar to 1.1 at 340 K.

The samarium doped ceria-carbonate (SDC/Na2CO3) nanocomposite systems have shown to be excellent electrolyte materials for low-temperature SOFCs, yet, the conduction mechanism is not well understood. In this study, a four-probe d.c. technique has been successfully employed to study the conduction behavior of proton and oxygen ion in SDC/Na2CO3 nanocomposite electrolyte. The results demonstrated that the SDC/Na2CO3 nanocomposite electrolyte possesses unique simultaneous proton and oxygen ion conduction property, with the proton conductivity 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than the oxygen ion conductivity in the temperature range of 200-600 degrees C, indicating the proton conduction in the nanocomposite mainly accounts for the enhanced total ionic conductivity. It is suggested that the interface in composite electrolyte supplies high conductive path for proton, while oxygen ions are probably transported by the SDC grain interiors. An empirical "Swing Model" has been proposed as a possible mechanism of superior proton conduction. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nanofluids, which are liquids with engineered nanometer-sized particles suspensions, have drawn remarkable attraction from the researchers because of their enormous potential to enhance the efficiency in heat-transfer fluids. In the present study, water-based calcined mesoporous silica nanofluids were prepared and characterized. The commercial mesoporous silica (MPSiO₂) nanoparticles were dispersed in deionized water by means of pH adjustment and ultrasonic agitation. MPSiO₂ nanoparticles were observed to have an average particle size of 350 ± 100 nm by SEM analysis. The concentration of MPSiO₂ was varied between 1 and 6 wt%. The physicochemical properties of nanofluids were characterized using various techniques, such as particle size analyzer, zeta-potential meter, TEM, and FT-IR. The thermal conductivity was measured by Transient Plane Source (TPS) method, and nanofluids showed a higher thermal conductivity than the base liquid for all the tested concentrations.

Synthesis of colloidal nanocrystals of II-VI semiconductor materials has been refined in recent decades and their size dependent optoelectronic properties have been well established. Here we report a facile synthesis of CdSe-CdS core-shell heterostructures using a two-step hot injection process. Red-shifts in absorption and photoluminescence spectra show that the obtained quantum dots have quasi-type-II alignment of energy levels. The obtained nanocrystals have a heterostructure with a large and highly faceted tetrahedral CdS shell grown epitaxially over a spherical CdSe core. The obtained morphology as well as high resolution electron microscopy confirms that the tetrahedral shell have a zinc blende crystal structure. A phenomenological mechanism for the growth and morphology of the nanocrystals is discussed.

Completely water dispersible and highly monodispersed superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) were prepared. The surface of SPIONs was modified with dual-crosslinked amine activated dextran (AMD) and chemical cleavage of AMD on SPIONs was carried out by ethylenediamine hydrochloride (EDA). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that individual SPIONs were completely separated in water and the average diameter of resulting nanoparticles was 4.4 nm.