Abstract: Nanocrystals (NC) alloyed composite CdSxSe1-x(x=0
to 1) have been prepared using the chemical solution deposition
technique. The energy band gap of these alloyed nanocrystals of
approximately the same size, have been determined by scanning
tunneling spectroscopy (STS) technique at room temperature. The
values of the energy band gap obtained directly using STS are
compared to those measured by optical spectroscopy. Increasing the
molar fraction ratio x from 0 to 1 causes clearly observed increase in
the band gap of the alloyed composite nanocrystal. Vegard-s law was
applied to calculate the parameters of the effective mass
approximation (EMA) model and the dimension obtained were
compared to the values measured by STM. The good agreement of
the calculated and measured values is a direct result of applying
Vegard's law in the nanocomposites.
Abstract: The mechanical properties including flexural and
tensile of neat vinyl ester and polymer based on layered silicate
nanocomposite materials are discussed. The addition of layered
silicate into the polymer matrix increased the tensile and flexural
modulus up to 1 wt.% clay loading. The incorporation of more clay
resulted in decreasing the mechanical properties which was traced to
the existence of aggregation layers. Likewise, up to 1 wt.% clay
loading, the thermal behaviour showed significant improvements and
at higher clay loading the thermal pattern was reduced. The
aggregation layers imparted a negative impact on the overall
mechanical and thermal properties. Wide Angle X-ray Diffraction,
Scanning Electron Microscopy and Transmission Electron
Microscopy were utilised in order to characterise the interlamellar
structure of nanocomposites.
Abstract: Bionanotechnology deals with nanoscopic interactions between nanostructured materials and biological systems. Polymer nanocomposites with optimized biological activity have attracted great attention. Nanoclay is considered as reinforcing nanofiller in manufacturing of high performance nanocomposites. In current study, organomodified-nanoclay with negatively charged silicate layers was incorporated into biomedical grade silicone rubber. Nanoparticle loading has been tailored to enhance cell behavior. Addition of nanoparticles led to improved mechanical properties of substrate with enhanced strength and stiffness while no toxic effects was observed. Results indicated improved viability and proliferation of cells by addition of nanofillers. The improved mechanical properties of the matrix result in proper cell response through adjustment and arrangement of cytoskeletal fibers. Results can be applied in tissue engineering when enhanced substrates are required for improvement of cell behavior for in vivo applications.