Self supporting poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/In 2 O 3 with varying In 2 O 3 content (1, 2, 5 and 10 wt% In 2 O 3 loading) nanocomposite films have been prepared by solvent-casting and spin casting techniques.The nanocomposite films have been structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and the results confirm the incorporation of In 2 O 3 nanoparticles in the PMMA matrix. The thermal properties of the nanocomposite films have been investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results show that the degradation of the polymer occurs at higher temperature in the presence of In 2 O 3 nanoparticles and even a small amount of In 2 O 3 nanoparticles ($1 wt%) can greatly improve the thermal stability of PMMA. The UV-visible spectra of the nanocomposite films show that the films are UV-absorbing, and highly transparent in the visible region.

We demonstrate the use of a Langmuir monolayer as a templating agent for growth of oriented crystals of metal(II) -hexacyanoferrate(III) (where metal can be Ni, Co, or Cu), popularly known as the Prussian Blue analogues, crystals of which are difficult to grow by conventional means. Crystalline films of metal(II) -hexacyanoferrate(III) are deposited at the air-water interface, under an octadecylamine (ODA) monolayer in a Langmuir trough, upon addition of K3Fe(CN)6 solution into the subphase containing aqueous metal chloride solution. Template action to promote crystallization at the air-water interface appears to be provided by the protonated ODA molecules. In the absence of the template (without ODA), no crystals are deposited and instead a precipitation reaction occurs resulting in the formation of a nonoriented cubic M3[Fe(CN)6]2‚nH2O (M ) Ni, Co, or Cu) precipitate. Crystalline Ni-hexacyanoferrate films formed through the template action were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and so forth. We also report initial results on the formation of crystalline Co(II)-and Cu(II)-hexacyanoferrate(III) films by XRD results.

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