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Articles

CJET: VOL. 7 NO. 1, June 2023

The Utilization of Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials in Chemical Engineering

  • V. E. Ojukwu
  • C. M. O. Nwaiwu
Submitted
April 26, 2023
Published
2023-04-27

Abstract

Nanotechnology have witnessed application in almost all areas of chemical engineering from Quantum engineering to biosynthesis and biotechnology. It has improved the resonance properties of metals, semiconductors and quantum dots used for sensing and imaging applications. The greatest impact is in the area of biomedicals where neurodegenerative diseases such as cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and brain tumors are now addressed with great success. In filtration technology, nanomaterials are now used for onsite dictation and removal of heavy metals. Better performance have been discovered regarding nanomaterials for removing water vapor in the atmosphere as nano-hydroxyapatite can now replace silica gel for water vapour absorption. Even the processes leading up to production of nanomaterials are now modified with microorganisms to synthesize nanomaterials such as silver synthesized via H. Leucopus mediated bioreduction. Materials can now be synthesized down to atomic or molecular level through controlled deposition of the precursor material on the substrate. Size conversion of molecules, surface motif exchanges, ligand technology and polymer technology have witnessed turn around all because of nanotechnology. Organic pollutant known as non-biodegradables, can now be degraded excellently using TiO2 functionalized nanoporous anodized alumina in the presence of UV and visible light. Battery storage capacity have been greatly improved by doping of the electrodes with nanoparticles such that the volume changes during charge and discharge operations are reduced. In the end of this preview, a concise presentation of areas for further research was made to further accelerate research in this area. On battery technology and electrochemistry, a novel ternary composite of graphene, MoS2 nanosheets and a small amount (1wt %) of silver nanoclusters (NCs; MoS2/G/Ag) have been discovered with storage capacity as high as 1308 mAhg¬ 1 (at 5Ag-1 well above the traditional binary system with only MoS2/Ag. Other quantitative results of exploit of nanotechnology are littered in this review.