The following areas are currently under exploration in the department. Work in the Department tends to focus on other types of composite, designed for more specialised applications.Ĭomposites and nanocomposites can be prepared from a variety of different materials, depending on their intended application. In general, however, these materials are mature and highly-developed.

These form the mainstay of many important application areas in aerospace, land transport, marine, sports goods and a number of other industrial sectors. In nanocomposites, either one of the constituents has dimensions on the nanoscale (<100 nm) or instead the composite structure exhibits nanosized phase separation of the individual components.īy far the most extensive industrial usage of composite materials relates to polymeric matrices reinforced with glass or carbon fibres. The resultant composite exhibits properties which are distinct (and hopefully superior!) to its constituent materials, which remain separate and distinct within the finished structure and are not held together by formal chemical bonds. These nanocomposites exhibit enhanced thermoelectric properties making them attractive for applications in thermal energy harvesting.Ĭomposite materials are prepared from the combination of two or more different materials with distinct chemical or physical characteristics. Figure caption: Printed thermoelectric nanocomposites comprising a conducting polymer matrix, inorganic semiconducting nanoparticles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

Nanomaterials and nanocomposites