Preparation and Application of Functional Nanocomposites

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 6921

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan
Interests: green composite materials; organic and inorganic nanocomposites; functional nanocomposites; smart nanocomposites

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan
Interests: catalysis; sensors; wastewater treatment; inorganic organic nanocompsoites; energy harvesting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail
Co-Guest Editor
Department of Optical Science, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
Interests: nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes; 1D and 2D semiconductors nanostructure; conducting polymer coatings; field electron emission; laser ablation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on “Preparation and Application for Functional Nanocomposites” is dedicated to the dissemination of high-quality original research articles or comprehensive reviews on cutting-edge developments in this interdisciplinary field. In the past few years, functional nanocomposites have received huge consideration and become hot issues. Different kinds of functional nanocomposites have been developed for various types of applications, and also to enhance the effectiveness and environmental friendliness of these materials. The increase in interest in these functional nanocomposite materials could be because of their properties, such as their ease of preparation, cost efficiency, multifunctionality, and wide ranges of applications. These novel properties make them a hot topic in different fields of study.

Thus, works that are relevant to the preparation and application of functional nanocomposites with in-depth understanding, development of new functional nanocomposites, enhancement of functionality, as well as work that can pave the way for both academic and real-world applications in the form of original papers or review articles are highly welcomed.

With an emphasis on the preparation and application of functional nanocomposites, the most recent research on these topics, covering all aspects concerning functional nanocomposites, is warmly welcomed in this Special Issue. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following: antibacterial; electrical and thermal conductivity/insulation; energy harvesting and storage; green flame-retardant; magnetic; optical; oil–water separation; phase change; photocatalytic; pyroelectric/thermoelectric; photothermal conversion; sensing and actuation; stimuli-responsiveness; self-cleaning; shape memory; self-healing; sewage treatment; and waste treatment

Dr. Chang Mou Wu
Dr. Kebena Gebeyehu Motora
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • preparation of functional nanocomposites
  • applications of functional nanocomposites
  • characterizations of functional nanocomposites
  • properties of functional nanocomposites
  • antibacterial
  • electrical and thermal conductivity/insulation
  • energy harvesting and storage
  • green flame-retardant
  • magnetic
  • optical
  • oil–water separation
  • phase change
  • photocatalytic
  • pyroelectric/thermoelectric
  • photothermal conversion
  • sensing and actuation
  • stimuli responsive
  • self-cleaning
  • shape memory
  • self-healing
  • sewage treatment
  • waste treatment

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

11 pages, 2949 KiB  
Article
Transparent Self-Cleaning Coatings Based on Colorless Polyimide/Silica Sol Nanocomposite
by Yun-Je Choi, Ju-Hee Ko, Seung-Won Jin, Hyun-Soo An, Dam-Bi Kim, Kang-Hoon Yoon, Hyun-Woo Kim and Chan-Moon Chung
Polymers 2021, 13(23), 4100; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13234100 - 25 Nov 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3732
Abstract
We herein report transparent self-cleaning coatings based on polyimide-fluorinated silica sol (PIFSS) nanocomposite. Polyamic acid-silica sol (PASS) suspensions were synthesized by adding four different amounts of a silica sol suspension to each end-capped polyamic acid solution. The PASS suspensions were spin-coated on glass [...] Read more.
We herein report transparent self-cleaning coatings based on polyimide-fluorinated silica sol (PIFSS) nanocomposite. Polyamic acid-silica sol (PASS) suspensions were synthesized by adding four different amounts of a silica sol suspension to each end-capped polyamic acid solution. The PASS suspensions were spin-coated on glass slides, thermally imidized and treated with triethoxy-1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecylsilane (TEFDS) to prepare PIFSS coatings. The PIFSS coatings showed high resistance to separation from glass substrates and thermal stability. Furthermore, the PIFSS coatings on the glass substrate could be cleanly removed using polar aprotic solvents and repeated coating was possible. As the amount of silica sol particles in the PIFSS coating was increased, the hydrophobic contact angle increased. Among them, PIFSS-10 and PIFSS-15 coatings showed nearly superhydrophobic contact angles (144° and 148°, respectively) and good self-cleaning property. It was confirmed by SEM and AFM studies that their hydrophobic and self-cleaning properties are due to uniform particle distribution and relatively high surface roughness. PIFSS-10 coating showed a high transmittance value (88%) at 550 nm and good self-cleaning property, therefore suitable as a transparent self-cleaning coating. The advantages of the coating are that the fabrication process is simple, and the substrate is reusable. The PIFSS coating is expected to be applied in solar cell panels, windows, lenses and safety goggles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation and Application of Functional Nanocomposites)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

14 pages, 3079 KiB  
Article
Thermal and Photocatalytic Performance of Unsaturated Polyester Resins Modified with TiO2 Nanoparticles as Panel Bodies for Vehicles
by Miren Blanco, Cristina Monteserín, Nerea Uranga, Estíbaliz Gómez, Estíbaliz Aranzabe and Jose Ignacio García
Polymers 2021, 13(13), 2036; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13132036 - 22 Jun 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2142
Abstract
The transport sector is the fastest growing contributor to climate emissions and experiences the highest growth in energy use. This study explores the use of TiO2 nanoparticles for obtaining photocatalytic nanocomposites with improved infrared reflectance properties. The nanocomposites were prepared by dispersing [...] Read more.
The transport sector is the fastest growing contributor to climate emissions and experiences the highest growth in energy use. This study explores the use of TiO2 nanoparticles for obtaining photocatalytic nanocomposites with improved infrared reflectance properties. The nanocomposites were prepared by dispersing 0–20 wt% of TiO2 nanoparticles in an unsaturated polyester resin. The effect of TiO2 on the curing kinetics was studied by differential scanning calorimetry, showing a significant delay of the curing reactions. The thermal reflectance of the modified resins was characterized by UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometry, measuring total solar reflectance (TSR). The TiO2 greatly increased the TSR of the resin, due to the reflectance properties of the nanoparticles and the change in color of the modified resin. These nanocomposites reflect a significant part of near-infrared radiation, which can contribute to a reduction of the use of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Moreover, the photocatalytic effect of the TiO2 modified nanocomposites was studied by monitoring the degradation of an organic model contaminant in an aqueous medium under UV light, and the reusability of the nanocomposites was studied with 5 cycles. The developed nanocomposites are proposed as a solution for reducing global warming and pollutant emissions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation and Application of Functional Nanocomposites)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop