Combined soft nanotechnology methods — as versatile tools for designing templated nanostructures to obtain optically active materials
Nicoleta-Liliana Olteanu, Adina Roxana Petcu, Cosmina Andreea Lazar, Aurelia Meghea, Elena Adina Rogozea and Maria Mihaly
Since the discovery of microemulsions, the increasing interest both in basic research and in different industrial fields became more significant due to their unique properties, namely, large interfacial area, ultralow interfacial tension, thermodynamic stability and the ability to solubilize otherwise immiscible liquids. In recent years, nanoparticles have gained an increasing interest because of their unique size dependent properties (electrical, magnetic, mechanical, optical and chemical) which largely differ from those of corresponding bulk materials. As it is already known, by precise control of microemulsion composition and morphology, the special properties of the nanoparticles can be enhanced by their incorporation and/or coating with different matrices. Recently, the microemulsion assisted sol-gel procedure used to control the size, shape and distribution of nanoparticles, was applied as a versatile tool to prepare inorganic and hybrid silica based materials with results in technological application, such as: electrochemical, solar collectors, photocatalysis wastewater treatment and NLO materials. This paper aims to offer a vivid look on the use of microemulsions assisted sol-gel procedure for synthesizing and controlling the size and morphology of the nanoparticles and in the same time some recent works carried out in the synthesis and application of organic and inorganic silica based materials by this method are reviewed.
Keywords: Nanoparticles synthesis, Microemulsions, NLO materials