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Application of nanocomposites in daily life requires not only small nanoparticles (NPs) well dispersed in a matrix, but also a manufacturing process that is mindful of the operator and the environment. Avoiding any exposure to NPs is one such way, and direct liquid reaction-injection (DLRI) aims to fulfill this need. DLRI is based on the controlled in situ synthesis of NPs from the decomposition of suitable organometallic precursors in conditions that are compatible with a pulsed injection mode of an aerosol into a downstream process. Coupled with low-pressure plasma, DLRI produces nanocomposite with homogeneously well-dispersed small nanoparticles that in the particular case of ZnO-DLC nanocomposite exhibit unique properties. DLRI favorably compares with the direct liquid injection of ex situ formed NPs. The exothermic hydrolysis reaction of the organometallic precursor at the droplet-gas interface leads to the injection of small and highly dispersed NPs and, consequently, the deposition of fine and controlled distribution in the nanocomposite. The scope of DLRI nanosynthesis has been extended to several metal oxides such as zinc, tin, tungsten, and copper to generalize the concept. Hence, DLRI is an attractive method to synthesize, inject, and deposit nanoparticles and meets the prevention and atom economy requirements of green chemistry., (© 2022 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Dihydrogen is one of the sustainable energy vectors envisioned for the future. However, the rapidly reversible and secure storage of large quantities of hydrogen is still a technological and scientific challenge. In this context, this review proposes a recent state-of-the-art on H 2 production capacities from the dehydrogenation reaction of ammonia borane (and selected related amine-boranes) as a safer solid source of H 2 by hydrolysis (or solvolysis), catalyzed by nanoparticle-based systems. The review groups the results according to the transition metals constituting the catalyst with a mention to their current cost and availability. This includes the noble metals Rh, Pd, Pt, Ru, Ag, as well as cheaper Co, Ni, Cu, and Fe. For each element, the monometallic and polymetallic structures are presented and the performances are described in terms of turnover frequency and recyclability. The structure-property links are highlighted whenever possible. It appears from all these works that the mastery of the preparation of catalysts remains a crucial point both in terms of process, and control and understanding of the electronic structures of the elaborated nanomaterials. A particular effort of the scientific community remains to be made in this multidisciplinary field with major societal stakes., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A procedure that enabled rational access to the first example of hybrid material made of NPs grown within a H-bonded framework is reported. To avoid competitive reactions with the framework units, the metal precursor was chemically trapped in the porous structure and subsequently photo-reduced to afford the hybrid material Ag@SPA-2, which consists of Ag NPs of nanometric sizes (<15 nm) homogeneously distributed in the crystals of the host material. In a subsequent step, taking advantage of the porous matrix the silver NPs have been transformed in situ to Ag 2 S NP by simple infiltration of H 2 S. The supramolecular network is shown to play an important role in stabilizing the inorganic nanomaterials and thus in controlling their growth., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Quantum strongly correlated systems that exhibit interesting features in condensed matter physics often need an unachievable temperature or pressure range in classical materials. One solution is to introduce a scaling factor, namely, the lattice parameter. Synthetic heterostructures named superlattices or supracrystals are synthesized by the assembling of colloidal atoms. These include semiconductors, metals, and insulators for the exploitation of their unique properties. Most of them are currently limited to dense packing. However, some of desired properties need to adjust the colloidal atoms neighboring number. Here, the current state of research in nondense packing is summarized, discussing the benefits, outlining possible scenarios and methodologies, describing examples reported in the literature, briefly discussing the challenges, and offering preliminary conclusions. Penetrating such new and intriguing research fields demands a multidisciplinary approach accounting for the coupling of statistic physics, solid state and quantum physics, chemistry, computational science, and mathematics. Standard interactions between colloidal atoms and emerging fields, such as the use of Casimir forces, are reported. In particular, the focus is on the novelty of patchy colloidal atoms to meet this challenge., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Zinc oxide nanoparticles were obtained from the hydrolysis of an organometallic precursor in pure hexadecylamine. Interestingly, we demonstrate that the final (anisotropic or isotropic) shape of the nanoparticles is strongly correlated to the existence of a critical temperature. This suggests that the organization of the fatty amines is a paramount parameter in this synthesis. Moreover, the final hybrid ZnO materials systematically exhibit a liquid-crystal smectic phase, whereas no liquid-crystal phase was observed in the pristine reaction media. This simple process is, therefore, a direct and straightforward method to synthesize liquid-crystal hybrid materials., (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Analysis of nanoparticle size through a simple 2D plot is proposed in order to extract the correlation between length and width in a collection or a mixture of anisotropic particles. Compared to the usual statistics on the length associated with a second and independent statistical analysis of the width, this simple plot easily points out the various types of nanoparticles and their (an)isotropy. For each class of nano-objects, the relationship between width and length (i.e., the strong or weak correlations between these two parameters) may suggest information concerning the nucleation/growth processes. It allows one to follow the effect on the shape and size distribution of physical or chemical processes such as simple ripening. Various electron microscopy pictures from the literature or from the authors' own syntheses are used as examples to demonstrate the efficiency and simplicity of the proposed 2D plot combined with a multivariate analysis., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Micrometer-sized hierarchical Sn3 O2 (OH)2 octahedra, which are self-assembled one inside the other, resembling "Russian doll" organization, have been obtained by a metalorganic approach. This synthesis is based on the controlled hydrolysis of [Sn(NMe2 )2 ]2 in the presence of an alkylamine ligand in an organic solvent (THF). The water content of the medium proved to be a key parameter for the formation of these multi-walled octahedra. The resultant structures have been used as gas-sensitive layers on micromachined silicon devices. During in situ heating, Sn3 O2 (OH)2 is oxidized to SnO2 while retaining the initial morphology. The sensors present outstanding dynamic responses at very low CO concentrations (7 % and 67 % resistance variation to 0.25 and 20 ppm CO, respectively, at an operating temperature of 500 °C). This superior gas-sensing performance is closely related to the unique microstructure of the SnO2 multi-walled octahedra., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Pure and highly crystalline γ-Fe2O3 nanocrystals (NCs) are obtained when hydrolysis and oxidation of a Fe(II) organometallic precursor are performed in successive steps. Their synthesis in pure alkylamine leads to NCs of about 6 nm. In aqueous solutions of poly(vinyl)pyrrolidone, such pristine NCs form aggregates of about 150 nm that exhibit a high transversal relaxivity (r2 =466 mM(-1) s(-1)) about four times higher than that of a commercial Feridex magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent. Consequently, they provide a significant decrease in the NMR signal at very short echo time (8 ms), which is of paramount importance in clinical practice because of the reduced duration of MRI measurements., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Branched thermotropic liquid crystals (LCs) were successfully used as stabilizers for the synthesis of isotropic photoluminescent ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) in solution. (1)H NMR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry experiments demonstrate the existence of specific interactions between the LC and both the ZnO precursor and ZnO NPs. This offers the possibility for some branched molecules to act as structurally ordered hosts for the anisotropic growth of ZnO NPs., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Full NMR characterization of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized by various amines (hexadecylamine, dodecylamine, and octylamine) in C(7)D(8) demonstrated that the surface of this apparently simple system was very complex. Using different NMR spectroscopic techniques ((1)H, PGSE-NMR, diffusion-filtered (1)H NMR, NOESY, ROESY), we observed at least three different modes of interaction of the amines at the surface of the NPs, in thermodynamic equilibrium with the free amines, the relative populations of which varied with their concentration. The first mode corresponded to a strong interaction between a small amount of amine and the ZnO NPs (k(desorp)≈13 s(-1)). The second mode corresponded to a weak interaction between the amines and the surface of the ZnO NPs (k(off(2))≈50-60 s(-1)). The third, and weakest, mode of interaction corresponded to the formation of a second ligand shell by the amine around the NPs that was held together through van der Waals interactions (k(off(1))≈25×10(5) s(-1)). The second and third modes were in fast exchange on the NMR timescales with the free amines. The strongly interacting amines at the NPs surface (first mode) were in slow exchange with the other modes. A complex hydrogen-bonding network at the NPs surface was also observed, which did not only involve the coordinated amine but also THF and water molecules that remained from the synthesis., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Numerous compounds in which a paramagnetic LnIII ion is in an exchange interaction with a second spin carrier, such as a transition metal ion or an organic radical, have been described. However, except for GdIII, very little has been reported about the magnitude of the interactions. Indeed, for these ions both the ligand-field effects and the exchange interactions between the magnetic centers become relevant in the same temperature range; this makes the analysis of the magnetic behavior of such compounds more difficult. In this study, quantitative analyses of the thermal variations of the static isothermal initial magnetic susceptibility measured on powdered samples of the [Ln(NO3)3-[organic radical]2] (Ln = DyIII and HoIII) compounds were performed. The ligand-field effects on the Ln ions were taken into account, and the exchange interactions within a molecule were treated exactly within an appropriate Racah formalism. Values of the intramolecular [Ln-aminoxyl radical] exchange parameter have thus been rigorously deduced for both the Dy Kramers and Ho non-Kramers ion-based compounds. Ferromagnetic [Ln-radical] interactions are found for both the Dy and Ho derivatives with J = 8 cm(-1) and J = 4.5 cm(-1), respectively.