Amartya Chakrabarti

Conversion of carbon dioxide to few-layer graphene

Burning magnesium metal in dry ice resulted in few-layer nanosheets of graphene in high yields. These carbon nanomaterials were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. This work provides an innovative route for producing one of the most promising carbon nanostructures by capturing carbon dioxide that is popularly known as the greenhouse gas.

Boron nanostructures – from materials to cancer therapy: An account

An account of recent research on the syntheses, structures, properties, and catalytic applications of the nanoparti- cles/compositesformedbetweennanostructuredandsupportedpolyhedralcarboranecagesandmetalsisgiven. Thedevelopment of other nanomaterials, such as dendrimers is also briefly discussed.

Synthesis of boron nanorods by smelting non-toxic boron oxide in liquid lithium

In contrast to the conventional bottom-up syntheses of boron nanostructures, a unique top-down and greener synthetic strategy is presented for boron nanorods involving nontoxic boron oxide powders ultrasonically smelted in liquid lithium under milder conditions. The product was thoroughly characterized by energy dispersive X-ray analysis, atomic emission spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and, UV-Vis spectroscopy, including structural characterization by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Nanotechnology-driven chemistry of boron materials

The chemistry and reactivity of carborane-appended magnetic nanoparticles and boron-based nanomaterials are briefly reviewed with an emphasis on our contribution to this field. The carborane-appended magnetic nanoparticles exhibited great potential to be useful in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). A facile route to synthesize boron nanorods (BNRs) and boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) is also demonstrated. While functionalized BNRs and BNNTs have been successfully prepared, the derivatives of BNNTs were investigated as potential carriers for BNCT.

Catalyst-Free bottom-up synthesis of few-layer hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets

A novel catalyst-free methodology has been developed to prepare few-layer hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets using a bottom-up process. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (both high and low resolution) exhibit evidence of less than ten layers of nanosheets with uniform dimension. X-ray diffraction pattern and other additional characterization techniques prove crystallinity and purity of the product.

Applications of Nanocatalysis in Boron Chemistry

The rapid progress of nanoscience and nanotechnology opened up new vistas of application for nanomaterials. Nanocatalysis is a novel trend in the area of catalysis benefited by the advancements of nanotechnology. Developments in the field of boron chemistry have also been greatly influenced by nanocatalysis. In this chapter, we report recent updates on different boron compounds being either synthesized or utilized with the help of nanocatalysis.