Nanocomposite Materials for Optical Applications

Abstract

A substantial amount of work has been carried out in the area of nanocomposite materials for optical applications. Composites are typically constructed by embedding an optically functional phase into a processable, transparent matrix material. By doing so, the optical properties can be utilized in more technologically important forms such as films and fibers. This review covers many areas of optical composite research to date. Composites with secondand third-order nonlinearities and laser amplification properties are discussed with examples from the recent literature. Other composites, including transparent magnets, may be made using similar structures. The principles used to construct these composites may have important technological applications soon and are therefore summarized in this review.

Synthesis and structural, optical and thermal properties of CdS:Zn2+ nanoparticles

“…CdS is an important semiconductor compound of the II-VI group with excellent physical properties and band gap energy of 2.42 eV. It has been extensively studied due to its potential application in field effect transistor, lightemitting diodes, photocatalysis, biological sensors, solar cells and photodegradation of water pollutants (Alivisatos 1996;Colvin et al 1994;Klein et al 1997;Ruxandra and Antohe 1998;Romeo et al 2010;Beecroft and Ober 1997). The electronic properties of CdS nanoparticles doped with transition metals are strongly influenced by the doped transition metals (Liu Kewei et al 2007).…”

Optical Properties of Composites of PMMA and Surface-Modified Zincite Nanoparticles

“…1,2 More specifically, it was pointed out that such composite materials could be applied as transparent substrate or flexible functional layers of optoelectronic devices which require high transparency in the visible range of the optical spectrum. 3 Replacing the conventional substrates made up of inorganic glasses by polymer-based materials could provide a number of advantages, as the polymer composites have milder processing conditions and better impact resistance, can be made flexible, and the optical parameters can be tailored. These composites are typically obtained by the incorporation of functional inorganic particles into a transparent polymer matrix.…”

“…These composites are typically obtained by the incorporation of functional inorganic particles into a transparent polymer matrix. 3 While the polymeric component provides processability, flexibility, and transparency, the inorganic particles contribute to the desired optical properties. Because of its optical clarity and known chemical and physical properties, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA, Plexiglas) is an excellent host for functional particles.…”

Blood-clotting-inspired reversible polymer–colloid composite assembly in flow

“…P olymer-colloid composites represent an attractive class of hybrid materials in which one can tailor their properties by exploiting the individual and collective properties of both components [1][2][3][4] . However, uniformly dispersing colloids in polymer matrices, and vice versa, has represented a challenge that requires careful tuning of the interactions and the processing conditions [5][6][7] .…”