This chapter summarises the pioneering milestone techniques in hybrid nanomaterials fabrication for various purposes and recent trends towards future manufacturing platforms. Fabrication techniques for hybrid nanomaterials involve combining two or more distinct types of nanoscale components, such as nanoparticles, nanowires, nanosheets, and nanotubes, to create materials with enhanced or tailored properties. These techniques aim to take advantage of the unique characteristics of each component to create synergistic effects. Hybrid nanomaterials find applications in various fields, including electronics, catalysis, energy storage, and biomedicine. An overview of hybrid nanomaterial fabrication techniques that have emerged as promising approaches to design and synthesize novel materials with enhanced functionalities is presented in this chapter. The techniques discussed encompass both top-down and bottom-up methods, enabling precise control over the composition, structure, and properties of the resulting hybrid nanomaterials.
Top1. Introduction
This chapter summarizes the pioneering milestone techniques in hybrid nanomaterials fabrication for various purposes and recent trends towards future manufacturing platforms.
Hybrid nanomaterials are materials composed of two or more distinct components at the nanoscale. These components can be organic, inorganic, or a combination of both. Hybrid nanomaterials find applications in various fields, including Catalysis (Hybrid catalysts with improved activity and selectivity), Sensors (Enhanced sensitivity and selectivity for sensing applications), Biomedicine (Drug delivery systems, imaging agents), Energy (Solar cells, fuel cells, and energy storage devices), Environmental Remediation, Removal of pollutants from water and air, Electronics (Improved performance in electronic devices) etc.
Suitable fabrication technique for hybrid nanomaterials is must to opt for tailored properties by combining the strengths of different materials, enhanced performance in various applications, better control over size, shape, and composition at the nanoscale.
Moreover, there are challenges like to have precise control over synthesis conditions, compatibility between different components, and scalability and reproducibility of synthesis methods.
Fabrication techniques for hybrid nanomaterials involve combining two or more distinct types of nanoscale components, such as nanoparticles, nanowires, nanosheets, and nanotubes, to create materials with enhanced or tailored properties. These techniques aim to take advantage of the unique characteristics of each component to create synergistic effects. An overview of hybrid nanomaterial fabrication techniques that have emerged as promising approaches to design and synthesize novel materials with enhanced functionalities is presented in the upcoming sections. The techniques discussed encompass top-down and bottom-up methods, enabling precise control over the composition, structure, and properties of the resulting hybrid nanomaterials. Even the several routes for the generation of nanomaterials may be categorized into two categories: bottom-up and top-down (El-Khawaga et al., 2023).
In the realm of top-down approaches, lithography-based methods stand out, allowing for the manipulation and arrangement of nanoscale components on a substrate. Techniques like electron beam lithography, focused ion beam patterning, and nanoimprint lithography have been explored to create intricate patterns and architectures at the nanoscale, facilitating the integration of different nanomaterials.
Several methods are used to fabricate nanostructures using the top-down approach such as photolithography, scanning lithography, laser machining, soft lithography, nanocontact printing, nanosphere lithography, colloidal lithography, scanning probe lithography, ion implantation, diffusion, deposition which can be further used for fabrication of hybrid nanomaterials (Macchione et al., 2018) On the other hand, bottom-up strategies involve the self-assembly of nanoscale components through controlled chemical reactions or physical interactions. One example is the co-precipitation of distinct nanoparticles followed by controlled growth to create core-shell structures. Another technique involves the layer-by-layer assembly of nanoscale building blocks, such as polymers and nanoparticles, to construct complex and functional hybrid materials (Kumar et al., 2017).
Furthermore, hybrid nanomaterials can also be fabricated using techniques like sol-gel processes, chemical vapor deposition, and electrospinning. These methods enable the synthesis of hybrid nanomaterials in a variety of forms, including thin films, coatings, fibers, and three-dimensional structures.
The integration of multiple functionalities into a single hybrid nanomaterial requires careful consideration of compatibility between different components. Moreover, the choice of fabrication technique depends on factors such as the desired properties, scalability, and the targeted application. The ability to engineer hybrid nanomaterials holds great promise for addressing technological challenges and advancing various fields, paving the way for innovative devices and materials with unprecedented performance.
Some common fabrication techniques for hybrid nanomaterials: