Areas of Interest

Great opportunities in materials science and engineering arise from the creation and utilization of novel nanoparticles, exploiting original structures and harnessing their enormous potential to discover and tune emergent phenomena. In particular, advanced materials with superior properties and interesting new features can be synthesized when entities are confined in one or more dimensions or/and are placed in proximity with dissimilar components in heterostructures. Not only the Dichiara lab focuses on producing novel and renewable nanocomposites, but it also aims at translating their outstanding characteristics to scales most common to human technologies. Anthony and members of his group are developing scalable and sustainable processes to organize as-prepared nanoscopic building blocks into multiscale patterns, while avoiding the occurrence of stochastic defects emerging at larger scales.

Recent relevant publications in synthesis of advanced nanocomposites:

• DU Pascoli, AB Dichiara, E Roumeli, R Gustafson, R Bura. Lignocellulosic nanomaterials production from wheat straw via peracetic acid pretreatment and their application in plastic composites. Carbohydrate Polymers 2022. 295, 119857.
• KJ Haunreiter, AB Dichiara, R Gustafson. Nanocellulose by ammonium persulfate oxidation – an alternative to TEMPO-mediated oxidation. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2022. 10, 12, 3882–3891.
• H Wise, H Takana, F Ohuchi, AB Dichiara. Field-Assisted Alignment of Cellulose Nanofibrils in a Continuous Flow Focusing System. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2020, 12 (25), 28568.
• J. Gu, AB Dichiara. Hybridization between Cellulose Nanofibrils and Faceted Silver Nanoparticles used with Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering for Trace Dye Detection. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2020, 143, 85-92.

Papertronics describes the emerging field of paper-based electronics, which combines the utilization of paper-like fibrous materials as a functional part of electronic components or devices for applications in multifunctional sensing, energy storage and harvesting. Papertronics serves a large variety of domains, from smart packaging and wearable devices to health care and novel human-machine interfaces.

Recent relevant publications in papertronics:

• SM Goodman, J Che, W Neri, J Yuan, AB Dichiara. Water-Processable Cellulosic Nanocomposites as Green Dielectric Films for High-Energy Storage. Energy Storage Materials, 2022. 48:497-506.
• SM Goodman, I Asensi Tortajada, F Halsbeck, KY Oyulmaz, A Rummler, C Solans Sánchez, J Torres País, H Denizli, KJ Haunreiter, AB Dichiara. Scalable Manufacturing of Fibrous Nanocomposites for Multifunctional Liquid Sensing. Nano Today, 2021, 40, 101270.
• J Zhang, SM Goodman, HG Wise, AB Dichiara, J-H Chung. Electromechanical Coupling of Isotropic Fibrous Networks with Tailored Auxetic Behavior Induced by Water-Printing under Tension. Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 2021, 9 (13), 4544-4553.
• AB Dichiara, A Song, SM Goodman, D He, J Bai. Smart papers comprising carbon nanotubes and cellulose microfibers for multifunctional sensing applications. Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 2017, 5 (38), 20161.

Remediation refers to the degradation and/or removal of hazardous contaminants from hydrological and ecological systems. Valorization involves the conversion of waste into value-added products to reduce the environmental burden while generating additional revenues.

Recent relevant publications in environmental remediation & waste valorization:

• B Zhou, X Liu, FLP Resende, J Zhou, M Wang, AB Dichiara. Hydropyrolysis of Residual Camellia Sinensis and its Cellulose and Lignin Fractions over Nickel Nanoparticles Confined inside Carbon Nanotube Micro-Reactors at Atmospheric Pressure. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2021. 9, 32, 10827–10836.
• HL Cao, C Liu, FY Cai, XX Qiao, AB Dichiara, C Tian, J Lü. In situ immobilization of ultra-fine Ag NPs onto magnetic Ag@ RF@ Fe3O4 core-satellite nanocomposites for the rapid catalytic reduction of nitrophenols.  Water Research, 2020, 115882.
• K Song, I Ganguly, I Eastin, AB Dichiara. High temperature and fire behavior of hydrothermally modified wood impregnated with carbon nanomaterials. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 2020, 384, 121283.
• J Gu, C Hu, W Zhang, AB Dichiara. Reagentless preparation of shape memory cellulose nanofibril aerogels decorated with Pd nanoparticles and their applications in dye discoloration. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental. 2018, 237 (5), 482-490.