Speaker
Tito Trindade
(University of Aveiro)
Description
Inorganic nanoparticles have been investigated as components in various functional materials and devices for diverse applications. These nanomaterials can be prepared as pure phases or as multi-phase materials which in turn are used as fillers in polymer matrices in order to fabricate nanocomposites.
In this communication chemical aspects that have been particularly relevant in our research on nanoengineering composite particles will be presented and discussed. A particular emphasis will be made on the use of chemical strategies well known within the inorganic chemistry field in order to produce a variety of nanocomposite particles. Illustrative examples comprising the chemical synthesis of photoluminescent nanosilicas, plasmonic metal nanoparticles and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanophases will be presented. All these nanoparticles can be used as starting materials to produce polymer composites in the form of colloidal stable aqueous emulsions or in bulk form. In this regards, it will be shown that the surface functionalization of the nanoparticles is of paramount relevance considering the type of polymers used and also the polymerization route employed. Finally, the challenges and potential applications of materials emerging from this nanocomposite science will be put in perspective.
Author
Tito Trindade
(University of Aveiro)
