Katharine Moore Tibbetts, Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University, focuses here on the rapid development of nanotechnology, which has impact in areas like medicine, energy and computing hugely
The author reveals that nanotechnology has developed at a rapid pace during the last few decades and as such, had revolutionised industries like computing, medicine and energy. The excitement does not stop there, however, as discovery in the field and implementation of novel functional nanomaterials in the future could address challenges that face us all, including solar fuel generation and battery technology advancement, sustainable energy use and climate change.
An important focus here concerns laser ablation in liquid (LAL), which the author describes as, “as a flexible synthetic route to a variety of nanomaterials that overcomes this major drawback of wet-chemical synthesis.” In this vein, one of the many things we discover is that LAL has the potential to become a versatile platform for environmentally sustainable nanotechnology development.
The crucial work taking place at the Department of Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University is giving fundamental knowledge that will help overcome a key limitation of LAL methods – insufficient control over the properties of the nanomaterial products. Looking ahead, efforts in the field will make LAL a key methodology for sustainably producing novel nanomaterials that can answer grand societal challenges in energy and other fields.