Nanocrystals (NCs) discussed in this Review are tiny crystals of metals, semiconductors, and magnetic material consisting of hundreds to a few thousand atoms each. Their size ranges from 2-3 to about 20 nm. What is special about this size regime that placed NCs among the hottest research topics of the last decades? The quantum mechanical coupling * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: dvtalapin@uchicago.edu. † The University of Chicago. ‡ Argonne National Lab. Chem. Rev. 2010, 110, 389–458 389

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Prospects of Colloidal Nanocrystals for Electronic and Optoelectronic Applications

The recent advances in electrocatalysis for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are thoroughly reviewed. This comprehensive Review focuses on the low- and non-platinum electrocatalysts including advanced platinum alloys, core–shell structures, palladium-based catalysts, metal oxides and chalcogenides, carbon-based non-noble metal catalysts, and metal-free catalysts. The recent development of ORR electrocatalysts with novel structures and compositions is highlighted. The understandings of the correlation between the activity and the shape, size, composition, and synthesis method are summarized. For the carbon-based materials, their performance and stability in fuel cells and comparisons with those of platinum are documented. The research directions as well as perspectives on the further development of more active and less expensive electrocatalysts are provided.

http://repository.ust.hk/ir/bitstream/1783.1-77094/1/acs.chemrev.5b00462_withlink.pdf

Recent Advances in Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Over the past few decades, researchers have established artificial enzymes as highly stable and low-cost alternatives to natural enzymes in a wide range of applications. A variety of materials including cyclodextrins, metal complexes, porphyrins, polymers, dendrimers and biomolecules have been extensively explored to mimic the structures and functions of naturally occurring enzymes. Recently, some nanomaterials have been found to exhibit unexpected enzyme-like activities, and great advances have been made in this area due to the tremendous progress in nano-research and the unique characteristics of nanomaterials. To highlight the progress in the field of nanomaterial-based artificial enzymes (nanozymes), this review discusses various nanomaterials that have been explored to mimic different kinds of enzymes. We cover their kinetics, mechanisms and applications in numerous fields, from biosensing and immunoassays, to stem cell growth and pollutant removal. We also summarize several approaches to tune the activities of nanozymes. Finally, we make comparisons between nanozymes and other catalytic materials (other artificial enzymes, natural enzymes, organic catalysts and nanomaterial-based catalysts) and address the current challenges and future directions (302 references).

Nanomaterials with enzyme-like characteristics (nanozymes): next-generation artificial enzymes

Hollow micro-/nanostructures are of great interest in many current and emerging areas of technology. Perhaps the best-known example of the former is the use of fly-ash hollow particles generated from coal power plants as partial replacement for Portland cement, to produce concrete with enhanced strength and durability. This review is devoted to the progress made in the last decade in synthesis and applications of hollow micro-/nanostructures. We present a comprehensive overview of synthetic strategies for hollow structures. These strategies are broadly categorized into four themes, which include well-established approaches, such as conventional hard-templating and soft-templating methods, as well as newly emerging methods based on sacrificial templating and template-free synthesis. Success in each has inspired multiple variations that continue to drive the rapid evolution of the field. The Review therefore focuses on the fundamentals of each process, pointing out advantages and disadvantages where appropriate. Strategies for generating more complex hollow structures, such as rattle-type and nonspherical hollow structures, are also discussed. Applications of hollow structures in lithium batteries, catalysis and sensing, and biomedical applications are reviewed.

Hollow Micro-/Nanostructures: Synthesis and Applications**

Green synthesis of metal nanoparticles using plants

This tutorial review summarizes the recent advances in the chemical synthesis and potential applications of monodisperse magnetic nanoparticles. After a brief introduction to nanomagnetism, the review focuses on recent developments in solution phase syntheses of monodisperse MFe2O4, Co, Fe, CoFe, FePt and SmCo5 nanoparticles. The review further outlines the surface, structural, and magnetic properties of these nanoparticles for biomedicine and magnetic energy storage applications.

Magnetic nanoparticles: synthesis, functionalization, and applications in bioimaging and magnetic energy storage

Monodisperse Fe nanoparticles are synthesized via a simple one-pot thermal decomposition of Fe(CO)5 in the presence of oleylamine. Controlled oxidation of the iron surface leads to crystalline Fe3O4 shell and results in dramatic increase of chemical and dispersion stability of the nanoparticles. Surface ligand exchange is readily applied to transfer the core/shell nanoparticles from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, and a stable aqueous nanoparticle dispersion in PBS is formed. The functionalized nanoparticles are suitable for biomolecule attachment and biomedical applications.

Synthesis and Stabilization of Monodisperse Fe Nanoparticles

We report a new approach to cisplatin storage and release using porous hollow nanoparticles (PHNPs) of Fe3O4. We prepared the PHNPs by controlled oxidation of Fe NPs at 250 °C followed by acid etch...

Porous Hollow Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for Targeted Delivery and Controlled Release of Cisplatin

We report the design and synthesis of multimetallic Au/Pt-bimetallic nanoparticles as a highly durable electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. This system was first studied on well-defined Pt and FePt thin films deposited on a Au(111) surface, which has guided the development of novel synthetic routes toward shape-controlled Au nanoparticles coated with a Pt-bimetallic alloy. It has been demonstrated that these multimetallic Au/FePt3 nanoparticles possess both the high catalytic activity of Pt-bimetallic alloys and the superior durability of the tailored morphology and composition profile, with mass-activity enhancement of more than 1 order of magnitude over Pt catalysts. The reported synergy between well-defined surfaces and nanoparticle synthesis offers a persuasive approach toward advanced functional nanomaterials.

Multimetallic Au/FePt3 nanoparticles as highly durable electrocatalyst.

We report a direct synthesis of ultrasmall c(RGDyK) peptide-coated Fe3O4 NPs (<10 nm in hydrodynamic diameter) and demonstrate their in vivo tumor-specific targeting capability. The Fe3O4 NPs are synthesized by thermal decomposition of iron pentacarbonyl in the presence of 4-methylcatechol (4-MC), and the peptide is coupled to the nanoparticles through 4-MC via Mannich reaction. The c(RGDyK)-MC-Fe3O4 NPs have an overall diameter of ∼8.4 nm and are stable in physiological conditions. When administrated intravenously, these c(RGDyK)-MC-Fe3O4 NPs accumulate preferentially in the integrin αvβ3-rich tumor area, which are readily tracked by MRI.

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Sheng Peng

Papers

Magnetic nanoparticles: synthesis, functionalization, and applications in bioimaging and magnetic energy storage

Synthesis and Stabilization of Monodisperse Fe Nanoparticles

Porous Hollow Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for Targeted Delivery and Controlled Release of Cisplatin

Multimetallic Au/FePt3 nanoparticles as highly durable electrocatalyst.

Ultrasmall c(RGDyK)-Coated Fe3O4 Nanoparticles and Their Specific Targeting to Integrin αvβ3-Rich Tumor Cells