Recent Advances in Bio‐Templated Metallic Nanomaterial Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Applications

Abstract

Developing metallic nanocatalysts with high reaction activity, selectivity and practical durability is a promising and active subfield in electrocatalysis. In the classical “bottom‐up” approach to synthesize stable nanomaterials by chemical reduction, stabilizing additives such as polymers or organic surfactants must be present to cap the nanoparticle to prevent material bulk aggregation. In recent years, biological systems have emerged as green alternatives to support the uncoated inorganic components. One key advantage of biological templates is their inherent ability to produce nanostructures with controllable composition, facet, size and morphology under ecologically friendly synthetic conditions, which are difficult to achieve with traditional inorganic synthesis. In addition, through genetic engineering or bioconjugation, bio‐templates can provide numerous possibilities for surface functionalization to incorporate specific binding sites for the target metals. Therefore, in bio‐templated systems, the electrocatalytic performance of the formed nanocatalyst can be tuned by precisely controlling the material surface chemistry. With controlled improvements in size, morphology, facet exposure, surface area and electron conductivity, bio‐inspired nanomaterials often exhibit enhanced catalytic activity towards electrode reactions. In this Review, recent research developments are presented in bio‐approaches for metallic nanomaterial synthesis and their applications in electrocatalysis for sustainable energy storage and conversion systems.

Innovative Treatment Strategies to Accelerate Wound Healing: Trajectory and Recent Advancements

“…In this context, the adjustment of physical and chemical properties of nanomaterials should be performed to reduce the associated skin toxicities while developing newer nanomaterials for wound healing. In addition, various stabilizers such as surfactants, metal shell, polymers, covalent adsorption, electrochemical synthesis strategy, and particle size control technology should be applied to reduce the skin irritation [ 332 , 333 ]. Another challenge includes the heterogenous nature of different chronic wounds which limits the regeneration potential and self-healing mechanisms of nanomaterials.…”

Nanomaterial-Based Therapy for Wound Healing

“…The increase in the NP stability decreases dermatitis caused by NPs. Stabilizers, for instance, metal shells, a polymer, or surfactants, can be used [147,148].…”

Biologically Assisted Construction of Advanced Electrode Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion

“…[11,12] Based on the abundant research, reviews about the advances on biotemplating synthesis of metallic, carbonaceous, and compound-based materials for electrochemical applications have been reported. [13][14][15] For example, Pan, et al summarized the biomolecular and virus biotemplates used for synthesizing metallic nanomaterials as high-performance electrocatalysts. [13] Long, et al reviewed the plant and animal biomass resources for synthesizing nanostructured carbon and their composites as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).…”