Recent research on the solution-based fabrication of inorganic thin films and organic/inorganic nanolaminates has ranged from fundamental studies of biomineralization to the synthesis of novel materials and devices. Highlights include the elucidation of how biogenics and model organic nucleants affect the form of the biomineral; synthesis of mesoscale nanocomposite films by surfactant templatin...

A reduced grapheme oxide (rGO)/Au hybrid nanocomposite has been synthesized by hydrothermal treatment using graphite and HAuCl₄ as the precursors. Characterization, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra, X-ray photoelecton spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), indicates the formation of rGO/Au. A gas sensor fabricated with rGO/Au nanocomposite was applied for...

We report on the synthesis of nanocomposites with integrated ellipsoidal silica-coated hematite (SCH) spindle type nanoparticles which can act as crosslinking agents within an elastomeric matrix. Influence of the surface chemistry of the hematite, leading either to dispersed particles or crosslinked particles to the elastomer matrix, was studied via swelling, scattering and microscopy experimen...

A hybrid nanocomposite material has been obtained by in situ formation of an inorganic network in the presence of a preformed organic polymer. Chitosan biopolymer and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), which is the most common silica precursor, were used for the sol-gel reaction. The obtained composite chitosan-silica material has been characterized by physicochemical methods such as differential therma...

Recently, the conjugated polymer – inorganic nanocomposites have been increasingly studied due to the potential applications of these advanced materials in developing optoelectronic devices. In this work nanocomposite materials thin films based on poly [2-methoxy-5-(2’-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) and nanocrystalline TiO2 (nc-TiO2) have been fabricated. The photoluminescenc...

In this review, we discuss the basic concepts related to (co-)evaporation and (co)sputtering based fabrication methods and the electrical properties of polymer-metal nanocomposite films. Within the organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposites research framework, the field related to metal-polymer nanocomposites is attracting much interest. In fact, it is opening pathways for engineering flexible com...

Polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites belong to a new class of hybrid materials consisting of organic-synthetic polymer matrix and inorganic filler-layered structure clay minerals. The paper presents the results of FTIR, NMR, and SAXS studies of poly(ε-caprolactone)/sodium montmorillonite nanocomposites. We observed a correlation between the concentration of poly(ε-caprolactone) in nanocompos...

The present study attempts to incorporate methacrylate-based polymers into ordered lamellar organic/inorganic nanocomposite films composed of alternating SiO2/polymer layers. The films are prepared by dip-coating from a solution containing the monomers and silica precursors, thus leading to composite lamellar mesostructured materials through evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA). A polymeriz...

We fabricated titanium dioxide (TiO2)-silica (SiO2) nanocomposite structures with controlled morphology by a simple synthetic approach using cooperative sol-gel chemistry and block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly. Mixed TiO2-SiO2 sol-gel precursors were blended with amphiphilic poly(styrene-block-ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) BCPs where the precursors were selectively incorporated into the hydrophil...

Nanoparticle-cored dendrimers (NCDs) are now offering themselves as versatile carriers because of their colloidal stability, tunable membrane properties and ability to encapsulate or integrate a broad range of drugs and molecules. This kind of hybrid nanocomposite aims to combine the advantages of stimuli-responsive dendritic coatings, in order to regulate the drug release behaviour under diffe...