Nano-structure Development

Since the possibility of direct melt intercalation was first demonstrated [11], melt intercalation has become a method of preparation of the intercalated polymer/ layered silicate nanocomposites (PLSNCs). This process involves annealing, statically or under shear, a mixture of the polymer and organically modified layered fillers (OMLFs) above the softening point of the polymer. During annealing, the polymer chains diffused from the bulk polymer melt into the nano-galleries between the layered fillers. 

In order to understand the thermodynamic issues associated with the nanocomposite formation, Vaia et al. have applied the mean-field statistical lattice model and found that conclusions based on the mean field theory agreed nicely with the experimental results [12,13]. The entropy loss associated with confinement of a polymer melt is not prohibited to nanocomposite formation because an entropy gain associated with the layer separation balances the entropy loss of polymer intercalation, resulting in a net entropy change near to zero. Thus, from the theoretical model, the outcome of nanocomposite formation via polymer melt intercalation depends on energetic factors, which may be determined from the surface energies of the polymer and OMLF. 

Nevertheless, we have often faced the problem that the nanocomposite shows fine and homogeneous distribution of the nanoparticles in the polymer matrix (e.g., poly (L-lactide)) without a clear peak shift of the mean interlayer spacing of the (001) plane, as revealed by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis [14], Furthermore we 

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The need to develop alternative electrocatalysts with low or, even better, without noble metals (platinum), to decrease the costs due to Pt shortage. New nano-structured electrocatalysts (HYPERMEC by ACTA SpA for example, http // www.acta-nanotech.com) [51, 52] have been developed, which are based on non-noble metals, preferentially mixtures of Fe, Co, Ni at the anode, and Ni, Fe or Co alone at the cathode. With ethanol, power densities as high as 140 mW cm-2 at 0.5 V have been obtained at 25 °C with self-breathing cells containing commercial anion-exchange membranes. 

Since many of these developments reach into the molecular domain, the understanding of nano-structured functional materials equally necessitates fundamental aspects of molecular physics, chemistry, and biology. The elementary energy and charge transfer processes bear much similarity to the molecular phenomena that have been revealed in unprecedented detail by ultrafast optical spectroscopies. Indeed, these spectroscopies, which were initially developed and applied for the study of small molecular species, have already evolved into an invaluable tool to monitor ultrafast dynamics in complex biological and materials systems. The molecular-level phenomena in question are often of intrinsically quantum mechanical character, and involve tunneling, non-Born-Oppenheimer effects, and quantum-mechanical phase coherence. Many of the advances that were made over recent years in the understanding of complex molecular systems can therefore be transposed and extended to the study of... 

In 2004, Toray Industries, Inc. succeeded in developing the world s first plasticiser-free flexible PLA film using Toray s own nano-structure control technology for biaxially oriented films. This film, without losing the transparency and heat resistance features of PLA, has achieved superior flexibility levels, meaning it could be used as packaging films such as wrapping films. Toray are confident that the environment-friendly features of PLA film are expected to spur widespread demand in the future. 

In this work, a route to build an aggregate of nanoparticles through two surfactants as mortar is developed in organic solvent. The results reveal that the strategy of self-assembly is an efficient way to create a new nano-structured system. The average size of assembled sphere is about 210 10 nm. The sample has a bulk-like sofemagnetic Fe behavior. 

Scheme 8.9 The use of fluorophores and nano-structured metal surfaces or adsorbed colloidal particles in the development of sandwich sensor...

The development of improved nano-structured and nano-composite photocatalysts. This is a new active area of research, because the microstructure of... 

This very versatile preparation route for nano structured mono- and bimetallic colloids has been further developed by Reetz and his group since 1994 [2e,12a,b]. The overall process of electrochemical synthesis [Eq. (7)] can be divided into six elemental steps (see Figure 6). 

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