Nanostrutturate

Nanostrutturate is a term used in Italian scientific literature to describe materials or surfaces that possess structural features on the nanometer scale, typically between 1 and 100 nanometers. Such features can be grains, pores, fibers, particles, or patterned structures, and they confer properties that differ markedly from those of bulk materials. Nanostrutturate materials are studied across metals, ceramics, polymers, carbon-based systems, and composites, with emphasis on how nanoscale features influence behavior.

The fabrication of nanostrutturate materials relies on both top-down and bottom-up approaches. Top-down methods include lithography, etching, milling, and dealloying, often used to create nanoscale patterns or porosity in films and bulk parts. Bottom-up strategies involve chemical synthesis, self-assembly, electrochemical deposition, and epitaxial growth, enabling precise control of size, shape, and composition at the nanoscale. Nanostructuring can be applied to bulk materials, thin films, coatings, porous structures, and nanocomposites.

Key properties of nanostrutturate materials arise from their high surface area and the quantum- or surface-dominated phenomena that occur at the nanoscale. This can yield enhanced strength or hardness, tunable optical responses (such as plasmonic or photonic effects), modified electrical conductivity, and increased catalytic activity due to exposed active sites. Characterization typically employs transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and surface area analyses, complemented by spectroscopic techniques.

Applications span energy storage and conversion (batteries, supercapacitors, catalysts), sensors and biosensors, electronics and photonics (transistors, solar cells), protective or functional coatings, and biomedical uses in diagnostics or targeted delivery. Challenges include reproducibility, scalable manufacturing, long-term stability, safety and environmental concerns, and the need for standardized measurement and reporting across disciplines.