Cu‐Based Nanocomposites as Multifunctional Catalysts

Herein, we report the synthesis of Cu/Cu₂O nanocomposites by a one‐step hydrothermal process at 180 °C, for which the resulting morphology is dependent on the hydrothermal reaction time (24, 72, and 120 h). With a longer reaction time of 120 h, a rod‐shape morphology is obtained, whereas at 72 and 24 h assemblies of nanoparticles are obtained. The rod‐shaped (120 h) particles of the Cu/Cu₂O nanocomposites show a much higher efficiency (6.3 times) than the agglomerates and 2.5 times more than the assemblies of nanoparticles for the hydrogen‐evolution reaction. During the oxygen‐evolution reaction, the nanorods produce a current that is 5.2 and 3.7 times higher than that produced by the agglomerated and assembled nanoparticles, respectively. The electrocatalysts are shown to be highly stable for over 50 cycles. As catalysts for organic synthesis, a 100 % yield is achieved in the Sonogashira cross‐coupling reaction with the nanorods, which is higher than with the other nanocomposite particles. This result demonstrates the significant enhancement of yield obtained with the nanorods for cross‐coupling reactions.     

Facile Synthesis of Cuprous Oxide/Gold Nanocomposites for Nonenzymatic Amperometric Sensing of Hydrogen Peroxide

In this work, a facile preparation method of cuprous oxide/gold (Cu₂O/Au) nanocomposite was successfully developed. The process consisted of one‐pot co‐reduction of HAuCl₄ and CuSO₄ using ascorbic acid (AA) as a reducing agent at room temperature under magnetic stirring. The structures and compositions of the as‐prepared products were characterized by SEM, EDS, and XRD. Cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry studies revealed that the as‐prepared cubic Cu₂O/Au nanocomposites showed enhanced performance towards the non‐enzymatic catalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) when compared to single‐component Cu₂O nanocubes. The linear range of H₂O₂ determination spanned over 4 orders of magnitude (1 μM∼16.7 mM) and the detection limit was low as 0.45 μM (S/N=3). The enhanced performance of cubic Cu₂O/Au was attributed to: i) the synergistic effect between Cu₂O and Au, ii) the increase in surface area induced by the reduced size of the nanocubes, and iii) the improved electrical conductivity due to the presence of Au in the particles. Overall, the cubic Cu₂O/Au nanocomposites prepared by the proposed method hold great promise for future practical use in H₂O₂ detection.     

Fe3O4 nanoparticle-integrated graphene sheets for high-performance half and full lithium ion cells

We synthesized Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticle/reduced graphene oxide (RGO-Fe(3)O(4)) nanocomposites and evaluated their performance as anodes in both half and full coin cells. The nanocomposites were synthesized through a chemical co-precipitation of Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) in the presence of graphene oxides within an alkaline solution and a subsequent high-temperature reduction reaction in argon (Ar) environment. The morphology and microstructures of the fabricated RGO-Fe(3)O(4) nanocomposites were characterized using various techniques. The results indicated that the Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles had relatively homogeneous dispersions on the RGO sheet surfaces. These as-synthesized RGO-Fe(3)O(4) nanocomposites were used as anodes for both half and full lithium-ion cells. Electrochemical measurement results exhibit a high reversible capacity which is about two and a half times higher than that of graphite-based anodes at a 0.05C rate, and an enhanced reversible capacity of about 200 mAh g(-1) even at a high charge/discharge rate of 10C (9260 mA g(-1)) in half cells. Most important of all, these fabricated novel nanostructures also show exceptional capacity retention with the assembled RGO-Fe(3)O(4)/LiNi(1/3)Mn(1/3)Co(1/3)O(2) full cell at different C rates. This outstanding electrochemical behavior can be attributed to the unique microstructure, morphology, texture, surface properties of the nanocomposites, and combinative effects from the different chemical composition in the nanocomposites.     

Study on the Zn(II)-Doped CdS Luminescent Nanoparticles Formation on the Chelating Polymer Microsphere

Highly photoluminescent hybrid Zn(II)-doped CdS nanocluster/copolymer nanocomposites latex were prepared by using the chelating copolymer, poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methyl acrylate-co-2-methyl acrylic acid 3-(bis-carboxymethyl amino)-2-hydroxyl-propyl ester), with in-situ chemical precipitation method. The morphology and photoluminescence property of the hybrid Zn(II)-doped CdS nanocluster/copolymer nanocomposites latex was examined by TEM and photoluminescence analyzer (PL), respectively. The photoluminescent intensity of the hybrid CdS nanocluster/copolymer nanocomposites could be enhanced by Zn(II) doped treatment from the PL measurement. Furthermore, these hybrid nanocomposite latex could be easily manufactured into the transparent nanocomposite membrane without losing their photoluminescence property as they were cured at 60 °C. Interestingly, the photoluminescence property of the hybrid Zn(II)-doped CdS nanocluster/copolymer nanocomposite membranes would be influenced by amino compounds due to the surface passivation effect. When the secondary amine compounds were used as the surface passivation materials, the photoluminescent intensity of the hybrid nanocomposite membrane would be enhanced. On the contrary, the hybrid nanocomposite membranes would descend their photoluminescent intensity as the primary amine compounds were used as surface passivation materials.     

无表面活性剂条件下一锅法制备金属/氧化锌复合材料用于催化二氧化碳加氢制甲醇反应

Catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂ to methanol is an important chemical process owing to its contribution in alleviating the impacts of the greenhouse effect and in realizing the requirement for renewable energy sources. Owing to their excellent synergic functionalities and unique optoelectronic as well as catalytic properties, transition metal/ZnO (M/ZnO) nanocomposites have been widely used as catalysts for this reaction in recent years. Development of size-controlled synthesis of metal/oxide complexes is highly desirable. Further, because it is extremely difficult to achieve the strong-metal-support-interaction (SMSI) effect when the M/ZnO nanocomposites are prepared via physical methods, the use of chemical methods is more favorable for the fabrication of multi-component catalysts. However, because of the requirement for an extra H₂ reduction step to obtain the active metallic phase (M) and surfactants to control the size of nanoparticles, most M/ZnO nanocomposites undergo two- or multi-step synthesis, which is disadvantageous for the stable catalytic performance of the M/ZnO nanocomposites. In this work, we demonstrate facile one-pot synthesis of M/ZnO (M = Pd, Au, Ag, and Cu) nanocomposites in refluxed ethylene glycol as a solvent, without using any surfactants. During the synthesis process, Pd and ZnO species can stabilize each other from further aggregation by reducing their individual surface energies, thereby achieving size control of particles. Besides, NaHCO₃ serves as a size-control tool for Pd nanoparticles by adjusting the alkaline conditions. Ethylene glycol serves as a mild reducing agent and solvent owing to its capacity to reduce Pd ions to generate Pd crystals. The nucleation and growth of Pd particles are achieved by thermal reduction, while the ZnO nanocrystals are formed by thermal decomposition of Zn(OAc)₂. X-ray diffraction patterns of the M/ZnO and ZnO were analyzed to study the phase of the nanocomposites, and the results show that no impurity phase was detected. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to study the morphology and structural properties. In addition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis was performed to further confirm the formation of M/ZnO hybrid materials, and the results confirm SMSI between Pd and ZnO. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to check the actual elemental compositions, and the results show that the detected atomic ratios of Pd/Zn were consistent with the values in the theoretical recipe. To investigate the effects of the Pd/Zn molar ratios and the added amount of NaHCO₃ on Pd size, the average sizes of Pd particles were calculated, and the results were confirmed by TEM observation. The Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ composite is a widely known catalyst for hydrogenation of CO₂ to methanol, and other M/ZnO composites are also catalytic for this reaction. Therefore, different M/ZnO hybrids were further studied as catalysts for hydrogenation of CO₂ to methanol, among which Pd/ZnO (1 : 9) demonstrated the best performance (30% CO₂ conversion, 69% methanol selectivity, and 421.9 g_methanol·(kg catalyst·h)^-1 at 240 ℃ and 5 MPa. The outstanding catalytic performance may be explained by the following two factors: first, Pd is a good catalyst for the dissociation of H₂ to give active H atoms, and second, SMSI between Pd and ZnO favors the formation of surface oxygen vacancies on ZnO. Moreover, most M/ZnO composites exhibit excellent performance in methanol selectivity, especially the Au/ZnO catalyst, which has the highest methanol selectivity (82%) despite having the lowest CO₂ conversion. Hopefully, this work would provide a simple route for synthesis of M/ZnO nanocomposites with clean surfaces for catalysis.     

UV-switchable polyoxometalate sandwiched between TiO2 and metal nanoparticles for enhanced visible and solar light photococatalysis

To improve the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO(2)-based nanomaterials, we demonstrate a facile, generalized, highly localized reduction approach to the decoration of TiO(2)-polyoxometalate composites with a range of metal nanoparticles including Cu, Ag, Pt, and Au. The synthesis of nanocomposite photococatalysts reported in this study has been achieved by utilizing the unique ability of the TiO(2)-bound PTA (phosphotungstic acid) molecules (a polyoxometalate, POM) to act as a highly localized UV-switchable reducing agent that specifically reduces metal ions to their nanoparticulate forms directly and only onto the TiO(2) surface. This leads to the metal contaminant-free synthesis of TiO(2)-PTA-metal nanocomposites, which is a significant advantage of the proposed approach. The study further demonstrates that polyoxometalates are regenerable photoactive molecules with outstanding electron-transfer ability and the deposition of metal nanoparticles on the TiO(2)-PTA cocatalytic surface can have a dramatic effect on increasing the overall photocatalytic performance of the composite system. Moreover, it is observed that the photococatalytic performance of the TiO(2)-PTA-metal nanoparticles can be fine tuned by choosing the composition of metal nanoparticles in the nanocomposite. Interestingly, the photococatalysts reported here are found to be active under visible and simulated solar-light conditions. The underlying reaction mechanism for enhanced solar-light photococatalysis has been proposed.     

Self assembled 12-tungstophosphoric acid-silica mesoporous nanocomposites as proton exchange membranes for direct alcohol fuel cells

A highly ordered inorganic electrolyte based on 12-tungstophosphoric acid (H(3)PW(12)O(40), abbreviated as HPW or PWA)-silica mesoporous nanocomposite was synthesized through a facile one-step self-assembly between the positively charged silica precursor and negatively charged PW(12)O(40)(3-) species. The self-assembled HPW-silica nanocomposites were characterized by small-angle XRD, TEM, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, ion exchange capacity, proton conductivity and solid-state (31)P NMR. The results show that highly ordered and uniform nanoarrays with long-range order are formed when the HPW content in the nanocomposites is equal to or lower than 25 wt%. The mesoporous structures/textures were clearly presented, with nanochannels of 3.2-3.5 nm in diameter. The (31)P NMR results indicates that there are (≡SiOH(2)(+))(H(2)PW(12)O(40)(-)) species in the HPW-silica nanocomposites. A HPW-silica (25/75 w/o) nanocomposite gave an activation energy of 13.0 kJ mol(-1) and proton conductivity of 0.076 S cm(-1) at 100 °C and 100 RH%, and an activation energy of 26.1 kJ mol(-1) and proton conductivity of 0.05 S cm(-1) at 200 °C with no external humidification. A fuel cell based on a 165 μm thick HPW-silica nanocomposite membrane achieved a maximum power output of 128.5 and 112.0 mW cm(-2) for methanol and ethanol fuels, respectively, at 200 °C. The high proton conductivity and good performance demonstrate the excellent water retention capability and great potential of the highly ordered HPW-silica mesoporous nanocomposites as high-temperature proton exchange membranes for direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs).     

Preparation and morphology of SiO2/PMMA nanohybrids by microemulsion polymerization

Polymethylmethacrylate/SiO2 nanocomposite particles were prepared through microemulsion polymerization by using the silica particles coated with 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (MSMA) in both acidic and alkaline conditions. Core-shell and other interesting morphology nanocomposite particles were obtained depending on the pH of the microemulsion, the amount of silanol, and the coupling agent concentration employed. Then, by combining a modified microemulsion polymerization process, i.e., an additional monomer-adding process, the solid contents of the polymer/inorganic nanocomposite microemulsion could greatly increase. Thus, by adjusting these parameters and polymerization process, it was possible to control the morphology and size of the nanocomposites.     

Nitrite Oxidation with Copper–Cobalt Nanoparticles on Carbon Nanotubes Doped Conducting Polymer PEDOT Composite

Copper–cobalt bimetal nanoparticles (Cu?Co) have been electrochemically prepared on glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs), which were electrodeposited with conducting polymer nanocomposites of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Owing to their good conductivity, high mechanical strength, and large surface area, the PEDOT/CNTs composites offered excellent substrates for the electrochemical deposition of Cu?Co nanoparticles. As a result of their nanostructure and the synergic effect between Cu and Co, the Cu?Co/PEDOT/CNTs composites exhibited significantly enhanced catalytic activity towards the electrochemical oxidation of nitrite. Under optimized conditions, the nanocomposite‐modified electrodes had a fast response time within 2 s and a linear range from 0.5 to 430 μm for the detection of nitrite, with a detection limit of 60 nm . Moreover, the Cu?Co/PEDOT/CNTs composites were highly stable, and the prepared nitrite sensors could retain more than 96 % of their initial response after 30 days.     

乳液分散法制备高分散纳米锡/介孔碳复合材料及其电化学性能

以间苯二酚和糠醛聚合而成的可溶性树脂为碳源,SnCl2为锡源,表面活性剂F127为模板剂,通过乳液分散法将锡源原位复合嵌入于介孔碳材料中,制备了纳米锡基材料高度分散于介孔碳中的复合材料。利用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、N2吸脱附(BET)、循环伏安(CV)等对材料的微观结构和电化学性能进行了表征。结果显示锡基材料在介孔碳中较为密集,分布均匀,粒径小于5 nm。介孔碳丰富的孔道结构有效限制和缓解了锡基材料的生长、团聚和体积膨胀,同时高比表面积增加了电解液与锡基活性材料的接触,提供了更多的反应活性点,从而获得了更高的电化学活性。充放电测试结果显示,700℃热处理后,锡/介孔碳纳米复合材料经过50次循环后实际放电比容量达203.4 mAh.g-1,表现出良好的电化学性能。     

Photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid using Fe3O4@TiO2/Cu2O magnetic nanocomposite stabilized on granular activated carbon from aqueous solution

Research on Chemical Intermediates - In the present study, Fe3O4@TiO2/Cu2O nanocomposites were synthetized and supported on granular activated carbon (GAC). The synthesized nanocomposite coated on...     

MgFe2O4@(TF-LDHs)磁性纳米复合体的制备与表征

以镁铁尖晶石(MgFe2O4)颗粒为磁性基质, 采用共沉淀法制备了替加氟(TF)插层层状双金属氢氧化物(LDHs)包覆MgFe2O4的核-壳结构磁性纳米复合体[MgFe2O4@(TF-LDHs)], 并对其化学组成、 晶体结构和磁性等进行了表征, 探讨了TF在LDHs层间的存在状态, 考察了TF的释放行为. 实验结果表明, MgFe2O4@(TF-LDHs)纳米复合体具有顺磁性, 其比饱和磁化强度随磁性基质含量的增大而增强; TF分子在LDHs层间以长轴略倾斜于LDHs层板的方式呈双层排布; MgFe2O4@(TF-LDHs)纳米复合体具有明显的药物缓释效果, 其释放动力学过程符合准二级动力学方程, 释放机理为Fick扩散; 增大磁性基质含量或施加外加磁场均可减缓其药物释放过程.     

Wet chemical synthesis of Cu/TiO2 nanocomposites with integrated nano-current-collectors as high-rate anode materials in lithium-ion batteries

Using a soft-template assisted method, well-organized Cu/TiO(2) nanoarchitectured electrode materials with copper nanowires as their own current collectors are synthesized by controlled hydrolysis of tetrabutyl titanate in the presence of Cu-based nanowires, and investigated by SEM, TEM, XRD, Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical tests towards lithium storage. Two types of Cu/TiO(2) nanocomposites with different TiO(2) grain sizes are obtained by using different thermal treatments. The two types of Cu/TiO(2) nanocomposites show much enhanced rate performances compared with bare TiO(2). A high-rate capability (reversible capacity at 7500 mA g(-1) still accounts for 58% of its initial capacity at 50 mA g(-1)) is observed for the Cu/TiO(2) nanocomposite with smaller TiO(2) grain size. The improvements can be attributed to the integrated Cu nanowires as mechanical supports and efficient current collectors. A cell made from the Cu/TiO(2) nanoarchitectured electrodes exhibits promise as an energy storage device with both high energy and high power densities.     

Ternary Ag/Polyaniline/Au nanocomposites: Preparation,characterization and electrochemical properties

Ternary Ag/Polyaniline/Au nanocomposites were synthesized successfully by immobilizing of Au nanoparticles (NPs) on the surface of Ag/Polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites. Ag/PANI nanocomposites were prepared via in situ chemical polymerization of aniline in the presence of 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) capped silver colloidal NPs. Then, uniform gold (Au) NPs were assembled on the surface of resulted Ag/PANI nanocomposites through electrostatic interaction to get Ag/Polyaniline/Au nanocomposites. The nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Moreover, Ag/PANI/Au nanocomposites were immobilized on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode and showed enhanced electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of H₂O₂ compared with Ag/PANI.     

Preparation, microstructure characterization and catalytic performance of Cu/ZnO and ZnO/Cu composite nanoparticles for liquid phase methanol synthesis

Stearate@Cu/ZnO nanocomposite particles with molar ratios of ZnO?∶?Cu = 2 and 5 are synthesized by reduction of the metal-organic Cu precursor [Cu{(OCH(CH(3))CH(2)N(CH(3))(2))}(2)] in the presence of stearate@ZnO nanoparticles. In the case of ZnO?∶?Cu = 5, high-angle annular dark field-scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) combined with electron-energy-loss-spectroscopy (EELS) as well as attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy are used to localize the small amount of Cu deposited on the surface of 3-5 nm sized stearate@ZnO particles. For ZnO?∶?Cu = 2, the microstructure of the nanocomposites after catalytic activity testing is characterized by HAADF-STEM techniques. This reveals the construction of large Cu nanoparticles (20-50 nm) decorated by small ZnO nanoparticles (3-5 nm). The catalytic activity of both composites for the synthesis of methanol from syn gas is evaluated.     

Synthesis and characterization of active ester-functionalized polypyrrole-silica nanoparticles: application to the covalent attachment of proteins

Novel ester-functionalized polypyrrole-silica nanocomposite particles were prepared by oxidative copolymerization of pyrrole and N-succinimidyl ester pyrrole (50/50% initial concentrations), using FeCl3 in the presence of ultrafine silica nanoparticles (20 nm diameter). The N-succinimidyl ester pyrrole monomer was prepared in aqueous solution using 1-(2-carboxyethylpyrrole) and N-hydroxysuccinimide in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide. The resulting nanocomposites (N-succinimidyl ester polypyrrole-silica) are raspberry-shaped agglomerates of silica sol particles "glued" together by the insoluble poly(pyrrole-co-N-succinimidyl pyrrole). The N-succinimidyl ester polypyrrole-silica particles were characterized in terms of their size, density, copolymer content, and polydispersity. Scanning electron microscopy and disk centrifuge sedimentometry confirmed that the nanocomposite particles had narrow size distributions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated a silica-rich surface and a high surface concentration of N-succinimidyl ester groups. These nanoparticles exhibited good long-term dispersion stability. The chemical stability of the ester functions in aqueous media after several weeks of storage was monitored by FTIR spectroscopy. The functionalized nanocomposites were tested as bioadsorbents of human serum albumin (HSA). The very high amount of immobilized HSA determined by UV-visible spectroscopy is believed to be due to covalent binding. Incubation of the HSA-grafted nanocomposite with anti-HSA resulted in immediate flocculation, an indication that they are alternative candidates for visual diagnostic assays.     

Urchin-like CoCu Bimetallic Nanocomposites for Catalytic Hydrogenolysis of Glycerol to Propanediols

Bimetallic CoCu nanocomposites were synthesized in polyol by using Ru as heterogeneous nucleation agent and stearic acid as surfactant, and their catalytic properties were investi- gated by hydrogenolysis of glycerol to propanediols. It was found that the surfactant could induce Co nanocrystals to form nanowires as structure-directing agent, while it's ineffective for Cu because only spherical Cu particles were produced under the same condition. When Co²⁺ and Cu²⁺ coexist in polyol, Cu²⁺ is firstly reduced and forms the spherical particles, and then the Cu particles afford surface for the subsequential reduction of Co²⁺ and growth of Co nanocrystals to form the nanorods, obtaining the urchin-like CoCu nanocomposites. The catalytic performance in selective hydrogenolysis of glycerol to propanediols proposed that the CoCu urchin-like nanocomposites was superior to the Co nanowires possibly due to that the synergistic effect between Co and Cu component promoted conversion of glyc-erol and obtained the higher propanediol yields based on the specific surface areas of the catalysts.     

花状Cu2O/Cu的水热合成及其光催化性能

以硝酸铜为前驱体, 不采用任何模板, 通过逐步水热法合成了花状Cu2O/Cu复合纳米材料. 用扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)和紫外-可见漫反射光谱(DRS)对样品进行表征. 结果表明, 花状纳米Cu2O/Cu材料是由长为300-500 nm, 宽为30-70 nm的带状花瓣构成, 在可见光区域有很强的吸收. 复合材料中Cu的含量可以通过反应时间进行调控. 对染料Procion Red MX-5B(PR)的可见光催化降解, Cu能明显提高Cu2O的光催化性能. 当Cu质量分数为27%-71%时, 复合材料Cu2O/Cu的催化活性明显高于单相Cu2O. 与立方体形貌的Cu2O/Cu复合材料相比, 花状纳米Cu2O/Cu复合材料对染料PR有更高的催化降解性能. 且该复合材料有较高的循环回收利用率.     

Selective growth of Au nanoparticles on (111) facets of Cu2O microcrystals with an enhanced electrocatalytic property

The selective growth of Au nanoparticles on (111) facets of truncated octahedral and cuboctahedral Cu(2)O crystals has been achieved by exploiting the differences in the standard potential between AuCl(4)(-)/Au and Cu(2+)/Cu(2)O pairs and in surface energies between (111) and (100) planes. The density and size of Au nanoparticles can be controlled by tuning the concentration of the gold precursor. Truncated octahedral Cu(2)O-Au nanocomposites have a 10 times higher electrochemically catalytic activity toward H(2)O(2) reduction than do pure Cu(2)O crystals. The enhanced catalysis may be derived from the polarization of Au NPs at the interface, which makes Cu(2)O more active for H(2)O(2) reduction.     

Recent advances in starch–clay nanocomposites

Biological nanocomposites are a valuable addition to the existing nanocomposite materials and eventually can substitute petroleum-based composite materials in numerous applications due to their inherent advantages such as biodegradability, eco-friendliness, low cost, and easy availability to name a few. Recently, polymer–clay nanocomposites have achieved much more attention due to their enhanced properties such as size dispersion and significant enhancement in physicochemical and mechanical properties in comparison to the pure polymer systems. Among various biopolymers, starch is one of the most abundant natural polymers on the earth and is highly valuable due to its chemical and physical properties. Starch polymer has highly increased potential as an alternative to petroleum-based materials. However, starch cannot be used alone and starch–clay nanocomposite has emerged as a new potential green sustainable material. This article focuses on recent progress in starch-based nanocomposites with particular emphasis on starch–clay nanocomposite preparation, properties, and applications.