Browsing by Subject "Hybrid materials"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Open Access
Core/shell-structured, covalently bonded TiO2/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) dispersions and their electrorheological response: The effect of anisotropy
(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015) Erol, O.; Unal, H. I.
As a new electrorheological (ER) material, core/shell nanorods composed of a titania core and conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) shell were prepared via covalent bonding to achieve a thin polymer shell and make the interfacial interactions between the two components more impressive. The successful coating of PEDOT on the nanorod-TiO2 particles was confirmed by TEM analysis. The antisedimentation stability of the core/shell nanorod-TiO2/PEDOT particles was determined to be 100%. The ER properties of the materials were studied under controlled shear, oscillatory shear and creep tests. The dielectric spectra of the dispersions were obtained to further understand their ER responses and fitted with the Cole-Cole equation. The ER behavior of the dispersions was also observed using an optical microscope. The flow curves of these ER fluids were determined under various electric field strengths and their flow characteristics examined via a rheological equation using the Cho-Choi-Jhon (CCJ) model. In addition, the results were also compared with nanoparticle-TiO2/PEDOT. It was concluded that the conducting thin polymer shell and elongated structure of the hybrid material introduced a synergistic effect on the electric field induced polarizability and colloidal stability against sedimentation, which resulted in stronger ER activity, storage modulus and higher recovery after stress loadings when compared to nanoparticle-TiO2/PEDOT. © The Royal Society of Chemistry.
Open Access
One-Step Fabrication of Biocompatible Multifaceted Nanocomposite Gels and Nanolayers
(American Chemical Society, 2017) Topuz, F.; Bartneck, M.; Pan, Y.; Tacke, F.
Nanocomposite gels are a fascinating class of polymeric materials with an integrative assembly of organic molecules and organic/inorganic nanoparticles, offering a unique hybrid network with synergistic properties. The mechanical properties of such networks are similar to those of natural tissues, which make them ideal biomaterial candidates for tissue engineering applications. Existing nanocomposite gel systems, however, lack many desirable gel properties, and their suitability for surface coatings is often limited. To address this issue, this article aims at generating multifunctional nanocomposite gels that are injectable with an appropriate time window, functional with bicyclononynes (BCN), biocompatible and slowly degradable, and possess high mechanical strength. Further, the in situ network-forming property of the proposed system allows the fabrication of ultrathin nanocomposite coatings in the submicrometer range with tunable wettability and roughness. Multifunctional nanocomposite gels were fabricated under cytocompatible conditions (pH 7.4 and T = 37 °C) using laponite clays, isocyanate (NCO)-terminated sP(EO-stat-PO) macromers, and clickable BCN. Several characterization techniques were employed to elucidate the structure-property relationships of the gels. Even though the NCO-sP(EO-stat-PO) macromers could form a hydrogel network in situ on contact with water, the incorporation of laponite led to significant improvement of the mechanical properties. BCN motifs with carbamate links were used for a metal-free click ligation with azide-functional molecules, and the subsequent gradual release of the tethered molecules through the hydrolysis of carbamate bonds was shown. The biocompatibility of the hydrogels was examined through murine macrophages, showing that the material composition strongly affects cell behavior.
Open Access
Polymeric nanofibers decorated with reduced graphene oxide nanoflakes
(Elsevier, 2017) Ranjith, K. S.; Uyar, Tamer
Research into graphene-polymeric based membranes by tuning its structural and functional properties will facilitate new opportunities on these hierarchical platforms. The objective is to play a role on the external skin of the polymeric nanofibers to enhance it structural and functional properties by introducing thin layered graphene oxide flakes to improve the absorption behavior, and to modulate the mechanical and electronic properties and more. By modifying the polymers and including some metal nanostructures within the graphene functionality may lead to the development of complex hybrid system for advanced applicability in fields such as catalyst, electronics, sensing, storage based devices, etc. Constructing the graphenebased systems with polymeric membranes having unique architecture and functionality will provide innovation in materials science in related fields. The hierarchical arrangement of reduced graphene oxide-polymeric membrane can play a key role in multifunctional application in the fields of electronics, catalysts, and sensors.
Open Access
Self-assembled template-directed synthesis of one-dimensional silica and titania nanostructures
(2011) Acar H.; Garifullin, R.; Güler, Mustafa O.
Mineralized biological materials such as shells, skeleton, and teeth experience biomineralization. Biomimetic materials exploit the biomineralization process to form functional organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures. In this work, we mimicked the biomineralization process by the de novo design of an amyloid-like peptide that self-assembles into nanofibers. Chemically active groups enhancing the affinity for metal ions were used to accumulate silicon and titanium precursors on the organic template. The self-assembly process and template effect were characterized by CD, FT-IR, UV-vis, fluorescence, rheology, TGA, SEM, and TEM. The self-assembled organic nanostructures were exploited as a template to form high-aspect-ratio 1-D silica and titania nanostructures by the addition of appropriate precursors. Herein, a new bottom-up approach was demonstrated to form silica and titania nanostructures that can yield wide opportunities to produce high-aspect-ratio inorganic nanostructures with high surface areas. The materials developed in this work have vast potential in the fields of catalysis and electronic materials. © 2011 American Chemical Society.