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Science 17 November 2006:
Vol. 314. no. 5802, pp. 1107 - 1110
DOI: 10.1126/science.1130557
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Review

Nanoparticle Polymer Composites: Where Two Small Worlds Meet

Anna C. Balazs,1 Todd Emrick,2 Thomas P. Russell2*

The mixing of polymers and nanoparticles is opening pathways for engineering flexible composites that exhibit advantageous electrical, optical, or mechanical properties. Recent advances reveal routes to exploit both enthalpic and entropic interactions so as to direct the spatial distribution of nanoparticles and thereby control the macroscopic performance of the material. For example, by tailoring the particle coating and size, researchers have created self-healing materials for improved sustainability and self-corralling rods for photovoltaic applications. A challenge for future studies is to create hierarchically structured composites in which each sublayer contributes a distinct function to yield a mechanically integrated, multifunctional material.

1 Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
2 Polymer Science and Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: russell{at}mail.pse.umass.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Ordered Mesoporous Materials from Metal Nanoparticle-Block Copolymer Self-Assembly.
S. C. Warren, L. C. Messina, L. S. Slaughter, M. Kamperman, Q. Zhou, S. M. Gruner, F. J. DiSalvo, and U. Wiesner (2008)
Science 320, 1748-1752
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