Polymer-inorganic nanomaterials

The y-ray irradiation synthesis method, which can be carried out at ambient temperature and pressure in aqueous or non-aqueous solutions, has been developed to prepare nanomaterials of metals, alloys, elemental chalcogens, chalcoge-nide semiconductors and inorganic/polymer nanocomposites. 

PPV is currently intensely studied by many authors as a polymer matrix for the preparation of hybrid inorganic-organic nanocomposites, and various inorganic SCs nanomaterials have been used as nanofillers, such as Ti02 [290-295], Si02 [289, 296], CdSe [297-299], and fullerenes [300,301]. 

N anomaterials have been around for hundreds of years and are typically defined as particles of size ranging from 1 to 100 nm in at least one dimension. The inorganic nanomaterial catalysts discussed here are manganese oxides and titanium dioxide. Outside the scope of this chapter are polymers, pillared clays, coordination compounds, and inorganic-organic hybrid materials such as metal-organic frameworks. 

Abstract This review describes how the unique nanostructures of water-in-oU (W/0), oil-in-water (0/W) and bicontinuous microemulsions have been used for the syntheses of some organic and inorganic nanomaterials. Polymer nanoparticles of diameter approximately 10-50 nm can easily be obtained, not only from the polymerization of monomers in all three types of microemulsions, but also from aWinsor l-like system. A Winsor 1-like system with a semi-continuous process can be used to produce microlatexes with high weight ratios of polymer to surfactant (up to 25). On the other hand, to form inorganic nanoparticles, it is best to carry out the appropriate chemical reactions in W/0- and bicontinuous microemulsions. 

This bicontinuous-microemulsion polymerization method can also be used to synthesize polymer nanocomposites containing Si02 [101], Ti02, ZnO and many other semiconductors. The advantage of this method is that the nanoparticles of inorganic materials can be dispersed in the polymer matrix fairly uniformly. The only requirement is that nanomaterials should be first stabihzed... 

As various organic monomers, such as acrylamide, acrylonitrile, vinyl acetate, maleic acid and styrene, can polymerize at the same time as forming inorganic nanomaterials, various kinds of polymer-inorganic nanocomposites can be prepared at room temperature by a y-irradiation synthesis method. 

An attractive alternative to organic fluorophores in formulated polymeric sensor films for chemical detection is to use inorganic luminescent materials. Semiconductor nanocrystals have a dramatically improved photostability and are attractive as luminescent labels.1415 However, some nanocrystals also exhibit photoluminescence (PL) that is sensitive to the local environment. For example, it was observed that PL of CdSe nanocrystals incorporated into polymer thin films responded reversibly to different gases.16 Because in sensing applications nanomaterials bring previously unavailable capabilities1719 and unexpected results,20 23 we explored the environmental sensitivity of semiconductor nanocrystals upon their incorporation in different rationally selected polymeric matrices.24 26... 

Nanomaterials energy and applications As nanocrystals and nanotubes are better understood, it becomes possible to rationally design nano-structured materials for specific purposes. This area includes both chemical synthesis and physical properties of nanostructured materials incorporating fullerenes, organic conductive polymers, and inorganic nanostructures. A central goal is composite materials for solar energy utilization—new types of solar cells. 

---