Nekane Guarrotxena
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Spain
Title: Engineering “smart†nanohybrid materials: New polymeric strategies for NPs functionalization and their improved applications
Biography
Biography: Nekane Guarrotxena
Abstract
The field of functional nanohybrid or nanocomposite materials is one of the most promising and rapidly emerging research areas in materials chemistry. These materials can be defined as synthetic organic-inorganic materials linked together at nanometer scale. The huge potential combinations of the distinct properties of inorganic and organic components in a single material have attracted considerable attention; and provide vast opportunities to develop novel advanced materials with well-controlled structures and multiple functions. On the one hand, the morphology- dependent tunable magnetic, optical, and electronic properties of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) can be advantageous to many fields, such as optical and electronic materials, biomaterials, catalysis, sensing, coating, and energy storage. On the other hand, a smart-polymer is a high performance polymer which shows sensitiveness to temperature, humidity, stress, pH or an electrical/magnetic field and respond varying colour or transparency, becoming conductive or permeable to water, among other ways. Interestingly, in these materials slight changes in the environment induce large changes in the polymer´s properties; and consequently, the combination inorganic nanoparticles-stimuli-response polymers yields smart nanohybrids and nanocomposites with improved and even novel properties. However, despite the breadth of papers attesting the interest of the subject, the establishment of new and simple protocols for polymer-coating of inorganic NPs still remains a challenge. In fact, polymer-stabilized NPs in organic solvents offer a great chemical playground for directed self-assembly, by simply changing the composition of the solvent; which expands their potential applications. In this talk, we will highlight our recent development in the area of multifunctional organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures, laying focus on the improved, optical and electronic properties of organic-inorganic nanomaterials as a response to chemical signals conversions derived from the impact of pH and temperature external stimuli. This research requires a good understanding of structure-property relationships that guide to new materials.