Composite materials combine properties of the individual components synergistically to produce a variety of materials in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Thus, composite materials today are being used in various applications from sports equipment to automotive and aerospace industries to food packaging and artificial organs. Materials reinforced with nanoscale components are adding new dimensions to composite materials and enable further major improvements in functional and structural properties. The incorporation of just a small percentage of nano-sized particles can create dramatic changes that may result in sensing, actualization or self-healing properties for the resulting composite.
The Coordinated Research Project (CRP) focused on developing methodologies and protocols for new abrasion resistant coating formulations, radiation curable nano-composites from natural polymers, new biodegradable packaging materials suitable for radiation sterilization, and new methods to modify surface characteristic of nano-sized materials to enhance polymer fillers’ interaction. Radiation technology offers an excellent way of overcoming some of these challenges as the characteristics of these nano-sized fillers can be suitably modified by the grafting of appropriate monomers/polymers onto their surface, thereby altering their morphology and at the same time making them compatible with the host polymers. Radiation grafting can be carried out at room temperature and without any initiators, thus avoiding the incorporation of toxic chemical by-products. Nanoparticles can more easily be homogeneously dispersed in liquid media (monomers, solvent plus monomers, sol/gels, etc.), when this is followed by a quick polymerization step using radiation at ambient temperature. This retains the initially obtained homogeneous distribution and results in a better dispersion of the nano-filler materials.
Major achievements of this CRP include new scratch and abrasion resistant coating formulations containing inorganic additives, and the control of radiation-initiated polymerization which was identified as the key strategy for developing coatings with enhanced surface finishing. Other achievements include: Preparation methods for radiation curable nano-composites from natural polymers; protocols and specifications for new biodegradable packaging materials; new methods to modify surface characteristics of nano-sized materials to enhance polymer fillers interaction; a matrix for nanocomposites; and metal and metal oxide nanoclusters/nanoparticles.
The participants developed numerous protocols for the preparation of nanocomposites which are now being transferred into new products. New preparation methods were discovered that resulted in improved characteristics for the final products, thus enabling new applications. Besides the collaboration towards the objectives of the CRP, strong collaboration and a network were also established; under a strategic partnership, projects within the framework of the EU Erasmus programme are organizing and delivering training and teaching programmes to enhance development and transfer of knowledge of the application of ionizing radiation in materials processing.
Researchers from Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, the USA and Viet Nam participated in this CRP.
For more information, please see the CRP description:
http://www.dgdingfa.net/projects/crp/f22051
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