In the past, the possibility of the extensive technological use of nanoparticles in the field of polymers was hindered due to the lack of effective methods for their controlled dispersion within the material
Insertion of nanoparticles into polymers is a design approach used in all areas of materials science, says Christoph Wieder of Case Western Reserve University, senior author of the article published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, adding that in the past, the possibility of the extensive technological use of nanoparticles in the field of polymers was inhibited Due to the lack of effective methods for their controlled dispersion within the material.
In their innovative method, the group used a process in which the reinforcing nanoparticles are embedded into a three-dimensional array through the gelation of a nanoparticle suspension, to obtain a template. In the next step, this template can be filled with any desired polymer by replacing the template solution with a solution containing the polymer. "Using this method we were able to take the most incompatible combination of ingredients and show that they can be used to make compatible materials," Wieder says.
While the research mainly focuses on cellulose "hairs" as the material chosen to represent nanoparticles due to their efficient mechanical properties and the ease of their extraction from renewable biological sources such as wood and cotton, the researcher explains, the team also began to investigate a wide variety of polymers and other nanofibers proving that the method has wide application . The research was published in the December issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology and the university has applied for a patent to protect the intellectual property rights of this new technology.
