Sixty classroom-tested recipes for synthesizing nanomaterials using accessible methods

Hands-on nanomaterial synthesis requires reproducible protocols suited to teaching laboratories with standard equipment. The Nanomaterials Cookbook: 60 Tried-and-Tested Recipes for Synthesis delivers exactly that—sixty step-by-step experimental procedures, combining original work with refined literature adaptations. Each recipe emphasizes clarity, reproducibility, and accessible reagents, enabling students and instructors to move from theory to functional nanomaterials using low-cost experimental setups.

Recipes span metal nanoparticles including gold, silver, and copper, along with quantum dots, magnetic nanoparticles, luminescent materials, hybrid organic-inorganic systems, and photochromic and thermochromic nanostructures. Each chapter functions as a self-contained experimental module with integrated safety and GHS guidance. The book incorporates green chemistry approaches and highlights real-world applications, connecting laboratory work with current technological developments.

Readers will also find:

• Procedures progressing from basic to advanced techniques, allowing flexible sequencing across semester-long courses or independent study
• Cross-references between experiments that build conceptual connections and deepen understanding of synthesis-property relationships across material classes
• Emphasis on reagent accessibility and low-cost equipment, making protocols feasible in undergraduate teaching laboratories worldwide
• Integration of modern synthesis approaches alongside established methods, reflecting current practice in nanomaterials research and development
• Functional nanostructure recipes covering photochromic, thermochromic, and luminescent materials with direct links to technological applications

Designed for undergraduate students in materials science and chemistry, as well as instructors building laboratory curricula, The Nanomaterials Cookbook provides a structured path from foundational synthesis techniques to advanced functional nanomaterials. Its modular format supports teaching labs, student research projects, and self-directed study with equal flexibility.

Alexander B. Shcherbakov, PhD, is a researcher at the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv, Ukraine, specializing in the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials. He has more than 100 scientific publications and patents in the field and has developed widely used educational lab modules that have supported hundreds of student research projects and classroom courses internationally.

Vladimir K. Ivanov, PhD, is Director of the Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is a Full Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Irish Institute of Chemistry, and the author of more than 350 articles, 7 monographs, and 16 patents.