Nanotechnology in Chemical Engineering

Week 1: Introduction: Nanotechnology and its historic perspective, Foundation of nanotechnology in chemistry, physics, and biology, nanotechnology in nature, Applications of nanotechnology, Characterization of nanomaterials, Classifications of nanomaterials: based on Class, Material, and Dimension. Properties of Nanomaterials: Physical Properties of Nanomaterials: Surface area, Melting point, Surface energy, Excellent Catalysts (Reactions where surface properties are very important), Thermal properties: Thermal conductivity (k )/ Heat capacity (Cp), Mass Transfer/Diffusivity, Chemical Properties of Nanomaterials. 

Week 2: Nanostructures and Nanomaterials: Mechanical properties, Electrical properties, Optical properties, Magnetic properties. Different methods of synthesizing nanomaterials, Fabrication of nanostructures by two different approaches: bottom-up approaches (Chemical method): Sol gel method,  Hydrothermal method, Chemical Vapor Deposition, Spray Pyrolysis, Soft and hard Template Method, and Top-down approaches (Physical and Chemical method): Ball milling method, Nanolithography, Laser Ablation Method, Sputtering Method,  Thermal Decomposition Method,  Arc discharge method, Synthesis of 0D, 1D, 2D Nanomaterials.    

Structure and bonding: Types of solid, 2D, 3D crystal structures, Planes in the crystals, Crystallographic directions, Bonding in solids.

Week 3: Nanomaterials Manufacturing Techniques: Synthesis of nanomaterials: Physical method: Mechanical Method, High energy ball milling, Melt Mixing, Method based on evaporation: Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) with Consolidation, Ionized beam cluster beam deposition, Laser vaporization (Laser Ablation), Laser Pyrolysis, Sputter deposition: DC sputtering, RF sputtering, Magnetron sputtering, Electronic arc deposition, e) Ions beam techniques (ion implantation), Molecular beam Epitaxy,  Chemical Vapor deposition (CVD), Synthesis of nanomaterials (Chemical methods): Colloids and colloids in solutions, Nucleation and growth of nanoparticles, Synthesis of metal nanoparticles by the colloidal route, Synthesis of semiconductor nanoparticles by the colloidal route, Langmuir-Blodgett Method, Microemulsions.

Week 4: Synthesis of nanomaterials: (Chemical methods): Sol-gel method, Hydrothermal synthesis, Sono Chemical Synthesis, Microwave Synthesis. Synthesis properties and applications of special nanomaterials: carbon nanomaterials, porous silicon, MOFs, Aerogel, Zeolite.

Week 5: Nanomaterials characterization techniques: Microscopic: Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPM), Scanning Tunnelling Microscope (STM), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscope (SNOM).

Week 6: Nanomaterials characterization techniques: Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), TGA-DTA, FTIR, Raman, UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometer analysis, X-Ray Photo-electron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD)

Week 7: Application of Nanomaterials: Wastewater treatment, Mass Transfer, Heat transfer

Week 8: Application of Nanomaterials: Catalysis, biofuel production, Enhanced oil Recovery, Hydrogen storage and Polymer composite