Search

Nanocomposites are the innovative form of materials used at the nanoscale (1–100 nm in size). Parent materials are insufficient to satisfy the desired requirement to fulfill all the needs, hence to enhance various performances of composites, a suitable nanofiller (nanoparticle) can be used. The present study focuses on nanocomposite properties, types, and characteristic features. Nanocomposites that take advantage of fibers and nanofillers synergistically contribute to improved properties and environmental conditions by making them suitable for a wide range of applications (aerospace, automobile industries, electronics, biomedical, etc.). Nanocomposites are now being used in almost every field and find a wide spectrum of applications, including waste water treatment, corrosion protection, and so forth. In the present study, the effect of excessive use of nanoparticles (nanotoxicity) has also been addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we have investigated the interaction of hydrothermally synthesized Zn 2 SnO 4 (ZTO) nanoparticles (NPs) with two different commercial photo sensitizers such as N719 and N3 dye molecules and studied their performance in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Interestingly, the ZTO NPs exhibited band edge emission in the mid UVA region and as a result possibility of enhanced light harvesting in the terminal UVA region was anticipated in the device due to the efficient energy transfer observed in case of the sensitizer N719 than N3. The dye sensitization property has been found to be higher for the N3 dye molecules than the N719 dye molecules as based on the time dependent dye loading study. The devices fabricated with ZTO-N719 exhibited improved photovoltaic performance compared to the ZTO-N3 based devices exhibiting an overall conversion efficiency of 2.56% by the former compared to the later (1.90%) under 1SUN 1.5AM illumination and sensitization for 12 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this Communication, we report a facile approach to synthesize a technologically important oxide Zn2SnO4 (ZTO) by a temperature-dependent solid-state reaction without the Kirkendall effect. Single-phase defect-free ZTO was formed upon calcination of a homogeneous 2:1 mixture of reactive ZnO rods and SnO2 nanoparticles at 1000 °C. We also observed interesting photocatalytic and photovoltaic properties from the synthesized ZTO material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research work focuses on the development of a piezoelectric magnetostrictive smart composite with advanced sensing capability. The composite piezoelectric property is achieved from the dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and the magnetostrictive property from Terfenol-D nanoparticles. Finite element analysis (FEA) is used to examine the feasibility of modelling the piezoelectric (change in electric field) and magnetostrictive (change in magnetic field) self-sensing responses in the presence of applied stress. The numerical work was coupled with a series of mechanical tests to characterize the piezoelectric response, magnetostriction response and mechanical strength. Tensile tests of the composite samples manufactured as is (virgin), samples with SWCNTs, samples with Terfenol-D nanoparticles and samples with both SWCNTs and Terfenol-D nanoparticles were conducted. It was observed that an increase in volume fraction of Terfenol-d nanoparticles increases the change in magnetization, therefore increasing voltage response up to the point of saturation. The optimum change in amplitude was observed with 0.35% volume fraction of Terfenol-D nanoparticles. A constant ratio of SWCNTs was maintained, and maximum change in electrical resistance was at 7.4%. Fracture toughness for the samples with all nanoparticles was explored, and the results showed improved resistance to crack propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]