Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are making new functional nanocomposite materials by inserting nanoparticles into asymmetric block copolymer films, resulting in promising new matrices on which such materials can be constructed. The Magnetism Reflectometer at ORNL's Spallation Neutron Source revealed remarkable evidence that when such thin self-assembled nanocomposite films are confined to two layers and heated, the copolymer layers and nanoparticles form stable structures that preserve the original morphology. Neutrons revealed that after heating, the two-layer structure had become imprinted in the thin films and retained the composition after incorporation of the nanoparticles.
Menu