Nanoparticles connect to polymers like toy blocks through easy mechanical collisions

Dr. Seunggun Yu and his workforce at KERI’s Insulation Supplies Analysis Middle have developed “Hybrid Supraparticle Synthesis Know-how” that may connect inorganic nanoparticles to the floor of polymer microparticles by means of easy mechanical collisions. The work is printed within the journal Superior Supplies.

The “Hybrid Supraparticle Synthesis Know-how” that mixes useful inorganic nanoparticles with polymer microparticles is being extensively utilized throughout numerous industries, together with battery electrode supplies, catalyst techniques, prescription drugs and biotechnology, semiconductor packaging, and insulating supplies for electrical gear.

On this course of, supplies are primarily mixed by means of moist chemical processes, which pose a number of points, together with complicated multi-step procedures and extra prices, environmental issues attributable to the usage of solvents, and limitations in floor functionalization applied sciences required to induce chemical bonding between totally different supplies.

Impressed by the craters shaped on the moon attributable to asteroid collisions, Dr. Seunggun Yu launched a way of bodily and mechanically colliding particles.

On this course of, inorganic nanoparticles are individually connected to the floor of polymer microparticles, forming a core-shell construction the place the nanoparticles envelop the polymer microparticles like a shell.

Though this will seem to be a easy precept, its precise implementation was very difficult. To ensure that the nanoparticles to be stably connected to the floor of polymer microparticles, numerous elements should be thought-about concurrently, together with the scale ratio between the particles, collision velocity and rotational vitality, floor vitality, and roughness.

By exactly controlling these situations, Dr. Yu’s workforce efficiently mixed dozens of various inorganic nanoparticles with microparticles of various sizes and properties, establishing the optimum synthesis situations. Additionally they succeeded in uncovering the bodily attachment mechanism, marking the world’s first discovery of this course of.

As well as, the analysis workforce developed a expertise to quantitatively analyze the diploma of nanoparticle attachment, floor protection, and the steadiness of the interface bonding, whereas additionally evaluating the thermal, mechanical, and chemical sturdiness.

By way of this, they had been in a position to get hold of multifunctional, high-reliability composite particles with wonderful resistance to varied environmental situations, whereas concurrently possessing magnetic, photocatalytic, and adsorption properties.

Dr. Seunggun Yu said, “Since we are able to simply mix the supplies we’d like like toy blocks in an eco-friendly dry course of that makes use of no solvents, it’s advantageous for mass manufacturing and commercialization.”

“This expertise has a really big selection of attachable supplies, and the reproducibility in a easy course of is excessive, which implies the entry barrier for the business could be very low.”

KERI goals to speed up the optimization of synthesis processes by means of steady analysis. As well as, it plans to actively pursue commercialization by figuring out potential business companions within the expertise and selling expertise switch.