NEWS

Present and past news highlights from our group can be found in this section. For further information on any of these items, please contact us.

2015

Enero 2015

"Progress" in PNC nanoindentation

This article presents an exhaustive revision of recent studies on the mechanical properties of polymeric nanocomposites using the nanoindentation technique, with special emphasis on carbonaceous nanoreinforcements (carbon nanotubes, graphene and nanodiamond). The literature presents apparently dispersed results on the synergetic effects of nanofillers in diverse polymer matrices.

Increase in the indentation modulus delta EI, as a function of the weight of nanofiller for diverse thermoplastic matrices. Open or closed symbols correspond to functionalized and non-functionalized nanofillers, respectively. CNT = carbon nanotubes, G = graphene, ND = nanodiamond. The following general trends for deltaEI can be observed: (i) it increases strongly with nanofiller content until » 1 wt%; from whence the increase is less pronounced, (ii) it’s values are similar when CNT, graphene or nanodiamonds are incorporateded, and (iii) it shows significantly lower values in similar experiments in these same polymer matrices reinforced with clays or inorganic particles.

The bibliographic study provides evidence demonstrating that part of the discrepancies in the data result from the inadequate selection of the experimental conditions and the data analysis method. Both aspects are fundamental in the determination of mechanical properties in viscoelastic and viscoplastic materials. The authors, as well as compiling information from numerous sources, offer a critical view on the described results and often new interpretations of the experimental observations. The review includes original figures on the effect of diverse nanofillers on the mechanical properties of various polymer matrices. These representations allow the reader to observe general trends, and demonstrate that in order to understand the nanoreinforcing effect the influence of diverse factors such as the nature of the matrix, the nanofiller dispersion and its interaction with the polymer, or the form, size and orientation of the reinforcing nanoparticles. Finally, the article considers pending challenges and future perspectives of the mechanical characterisation of polymer nanocomposites via nanoindentation.

Bibliographic reference:

Nanoindentation in polymer nanocomposites.
A.M. Díez-Pascual, M.A. Gómez-Fatou, F. Ania, A. Flores.
Progress in Materials Science 67, 1-94 (2015)
DOI: 10.1016/j.pmatsci.2014.06.002
IF: 25.870

2014

December 2014 MAME

Recent PBNCs paper published

A recent article in the journal Macromolecular Materials and Engineering features some surprising results on epoxy-thermoplastic polymer blend nanocomposites (PBNCs).

Polymer Blend Nanocomposites: Effect of Selective Nanotube Location on the Properties of a Semicrystalline Thermoplastic-Toughened Epoxy Thermoset
Ana M. Díez-Pascual, Peter S. Shuttleworth, Eduin I. Gónzalez-Castillo, Carlos Marco, Marian A. Gómez-Fatou and Gary Ellis
Macromolecular Materials and Engineering 299, 1430–1444 (2014) DOI: 10.1002/mame.201400145

November 2014

Peter back in York

Dr. Peter Shuttleworth spent 9 days in the GCCE at York University for a series af meetings and materials preparation and characterization for application tests.

October 2014

Mesoporous NC patent filed

Some of the mesoporous nanocomposite materials developed in the last 2 years in collaboration with the University of York, UK have been registered in a patent:

MESOPOROUS MATERIALS FROM NANOPARTICLE ENHANCED POLYSACCHARIDES
Inventors: Peter S. Shuttleworth, Gary J. Ellis, Horacio J. Salavagione (CSIC), Vitaliy L. Budarin, James H. Clark (Univ. York)
Ref: 0436P/GB (UK).
Priority date: 15-09-2014
Owners: University of York - CSIC

Septiembre 2014

Marian Gómez-Fatou

Horacio

Horacio Salavagione

New MINECO project awarded

A new project has been awarded to Prof. Marian Gómez and Dr. Horacio Salavagione. It will focus specifically on graphene-based polymer nanocomposites, allowing us to advance on some of the developments made in this area during the iDEAPOLNAN project.

HIERARCHICAL MULTIFUNCTIONAL POLYMER NANOCOMPOSITES BASED ON GRAPHENE: DEVELOPMENT, MORPHOLOGY, SOLID-STATE PROPERTIES
MAT2013-47898-C2-2-R
Main Researchers: Dr. Horacio Salavagione, Prof. Marian A. Gómez-Fatou

The project, born from a very fruitful collaboration with Drs. Araceli Flores and Fernando Ania of the Institute of Structure of Matter (IEM-CSIC), is a subproject of the MINECO project entitled "NANOSCALE PROPERTIES OF HIERARCHICAL POLYMER NANOCOMPOSITES BASED ON GRAPHENE", coordinated by Dr. Flores, and runs until 2017.

Junio 2014

BlenDynIt extended

An extension to the end of the year of the subproject in the Coordinated Project iDEAPOLNAN will allow us to continue with our technological transfer activities contemplated in the Project Work Plan.

2013

Dec 2013

Synchrotron beamtime at SOLEIL

In collaboration with scientists from the Univ. of Genova and ALBA-CELLS, we are studying the unique crystallization behaviour of polybutene at the SMIS Beamline.

Left to right: Igors Sics (ALBA), Li Zhang (Univ. Genova), Dario Cavallo (Univ. Genova), Gary Ellis (CSIC), Paul Dumas (SOLEIL)

Nov 2013

Peter prepares new materials in York

Dr. Peter Shuttleworth spent 9 days in the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence at the Univ. of York (UK), preparing and characterising mesoporous nanocomposites.

Oct 2013

Vitaliy visits Madrid

Senior scientist, Dr. Vitaliy Budarin from the GCCE at the University of York, UK spends two weeks in our laboratory working on the characterisation of PNCs.

Oct 2013

New book on Food Waste Revalorisation

Peter Shuttleworth has coedited a book for the Royal Society of Chemistry on food co-products uses. He also published 2 chapters therein. More

Sept 2013

New chapter for graphene-based PNCs

Horacio Salavagione has published in the book by Smithers-Rapra entitled "Innovative Graphene Technologies: Developments and Chatactersation". More details to follow.

Sept 2013

IR microscopy in ALBA

During the first week of septiember, Dr. Gary Ellis made FTIR measurements on multicomponent polymeric materials using a Bruker LUMOS IR microscope installed close to BM04 in the ALBA experimental hall.

Aug 2013

Eurofillers 2013

Dr. Ana Díez presented recent results on epoxy-based polymer blend nanocomposites in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Aug 2013

Nanoindentation of PNCs and laminates

As part of a collaboration with scientists from the IEM (CSIC), during 2 weeks Dr. Gary Ellis studied the mechanical properties of laminates and polymer blend nanocomposites using the nanoindentation technique.

Aug 2013 Peter

Peter goes to York

Dr. Peter Shuttleworth spent the first two weeks of August in the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence at the Univ. of York (UK), preparing mesoporous nanocomposites.

July 2013

More Progress in hybrids

Members of the research team have recently published in the high-impact journal Progress in Polymer Science (IF= 26.383) a detailed review of the state of the art in the development of hybrid polymer nanocomposite materials based on inorganic fullerenes, including the most recent advances of the group in this area. LINK TO PAPER

IFs Organic-inorganic hybrid materials are found at the natural interphase between two worlds of radically different chemistry, but both with important contributions to the materials science universe. Today one of the most rapid growth areas is that of hybrid polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) since it is envisaged that they will play a fundamental role in the development of advanced functional materials of the future. IFs Recently, inorganic fullerene-like (IF) nanoparticles based on transition metal dichalcogenides, such as IF-WS2 or IF-MoS2, have emerged as a family of very promising materials in this area due to their high impact resistance and excellent tribological behaviour. IF-PNCs can manifest similar or better performance than PNCs with carbon nanotubes or nanofibres, but they are much more economical, easier to process and more satisfactory from an ecological standpoint.

The Polymer Physics Group has been developing these materials foe several years and the article presents the state of the arte of these materials today. The structure, morphology and properties of IFs diverse thermoplastic IF-PNCs are compared with those of PNCs that incorporate other spherical inorganic nanoparticle fillers, with special emphasis on the thermal, mechanical and tribological properties. Also, a new generation of dual-particle hybrids based on synergy between IFs and other micro o nanoparticles to modulate properties is discussed. Finally, some application areas are proposed in areas ranging from medical or transport to the electronics or aerospace industries.

June 2013

New addition

Jorge Gregorio Zaplana, an undergraduate student from the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) in the Aeronautical School has joined us to undertake his Final Year Project, under the supervision of Dr. Peter Shuttleworth and Dr.Gary Ellis.

June 2013

Ana Diez recieves CSIC honours

Dr. Ana Diez was honoured by the CSIC as one of the scientists that recieved a prize or distintion from an external organisation for their scientific merits in 2012-13. More about her prize HERE.

June 2013 Diamond

Dr. Vitaly Budarin in Madrid

Dr. Vitaly Budarin from the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence of the University of York (UK) works in our lab on starch-based nanocomposites in the i-LINK+ Project.

May 2013

Frontiers in Polymer Science

Members of the group presented 3 posters at the 3rd International Symposium "Frontiers in Polymer Science" held on 21st - 23rd of May in Sitges, Spain.

The work presented related to three areas of research: (Left to right) Graphene chemistry for polymer nanocomposites with Marta & Horacio, synchrotron IR and x-ray microspectroscopy studies polymorphic interhases with Gary, and biorenewable strategies for new materials from waste oil, with Peter.

April 2013

12,000 downloads mark passed in April

The chapter "Graphene-Based Polymer Nanocomposites" by Salavagione, et al. has passed the 12,000 downloads mark, according to the publisher InTech Publishing. The chapter is included in the Open Access book Physics and Applications of Graphene - Experiments (ISBN: 978-953-307-217-3). More details can be found on the publishers website (see statistics frame). FREE DOWNLOAD OF CHAPTER HERE

Abril 2013

Kick-off Meeting in Madrid for i-LINK+

Prof. James Clark, Director of the GCCE at York University visited the Group and participated with the Spanish team in the Madrid Kick-off Meeting of the i-LINK+ Project.

March 2013

Researchers from the Group visit the University of York

Within the new i-LINK+ project, the preparation of new nanocomposites with graphene derivatives was initiated in the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence of the University of York, UK.

On the 26th of March the York Kick-off Meeting was held. In the photograph, Drs. Peter Shuttleworth, Gary Ellis and Horacio Salavagione visit the facilities and laboratories of the GCCE with Dr. Vitaly Budarin (second from the left).

January 2013

New international collaboration project awarded

The group has won an iLINK+ Project, financed by the Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), for a collaboration with the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence of the University of York, and the company Starbon Technologies Ltd, both of the United Kingdom. The project entitled "Nanocomposite enhancement of naturally derived mesoporous carbons" runs for 2 years. For more information on the British partners, click on the images.

2012

Noviembre 2012	Soledad Vera joins the group Prof. Soledad Vera from the Department of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry An Chemical Engineering of the University of Alcalá joins the Polymer Physics Group for a sabbatical working on nanocomposites based on carbon nanotubes and graphene derivatives.

October 2012	Ana recieves TR35 prize from the MIT Dr. Ana Díez Pascual has been awarded a TR35 Spain Prize by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), through its magazine Technology Review. This prize, which recognises the work of the 10 most notable young innovators in Spain under 35 years of age, aims to highlight fascinating and inspired projects with the potential to revolutionize the world of technology and business in the near future.
The results of Ana's research have been patented; it is centred in the development and characterization of thermoplastic materials reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNT), particularly nanocomposites based in poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK), designing strategies to improve the integration of the nanotubes in the matrix, such as functonalization of the polymer, disperion of the nanotubes in compatibilizing agents and covalent bonding of a hydroxilated derivative of the polymer to the surface of functionalized nanotubes. The latter strategy is a simple, versatile and scaleable method that leads to very good nanofiller dispersion and adhesion between the phases of the material, requiring only a very low concentration of CNT (< 1wt%) to generate improved mechanical, electrical and thermal properties that those achieved by direct reinforcement or by the incorporation of other nanoparticles. These nanocomposites are adequate for structural applications in transport in the automotive and aerospace industries, Their use will diminish fuel costs and, consequently, contaminant emissions, thus reducing environmental impact.
Press Cuttings	El País (12/11/2012), Expansión (21/11/2012), El País (22/11/2012), Diario del Sur (23/11/2012)
Web Cuttings	InnDEA, hayCANAL.com, BBVA, InfoCTP

September 2012 Línea IRIS, BESSY-II	PM-SIRMS at BESSY-II Synchrotron Berlin Dr Gary Ellis, in collaboration with Dr Ulriche Schade, Director of the IRIS Beamline at BESSY-II, used polarization-modulated IR microspectroscopy (PM-SIRMS) with high spatial resolution to study the crystalline morphology of diverse semicrystalline polymeric materials.
PM-SIRMS has been shown to be a very powerful tool for the study of anisotropic materials using infrared spectroscopy. The brightness advantage of the synchrotron radiation allows dichroic-difference spectroscopy to be performed at diffraction-limited spatial resolution. The ongoing collaboration between the IRIS beamline and the Polymer Physics Group is developing this technique further to impliment dichroic mapping of anisotropic polymeric materials. Further information on PM-SIRMS available in this article.

September 2012	Seminario sobre nanocompuestos de PEEK La Dra Ana Díez-Pascual pronunció el seminario con título *"Nanocompuestos de altas prestaciones basados en poli(éter éter cetona)"* sobre el desarrollo de nanocompuestos PEEK/CNT el en Ciclo de Seminarios del ICTP, el Miércoles día 19 de septiembre a las 12 horas.
Poli(éter éter cetona) (PEEK) es un polímero termoplástico de altas prestaciones que presenta una excelente combinación de propiedades tales como alta rigidez, tenacidad, estabilidad térmica y resistencia química. Para ampliar su utilización en aplicaciones tecnológicas avanzadas es de gran interés incorporarle distintos tipos de refuerzos. En particular, la introducción de nanotubos de carbono mediante diferentes estrategias tales como el anclaje covalente de estos a derivados del polímero o la adición de agentes compatibilizantes ha dado lugar a nanocompuestos con propiedades mecánicas mejoradas así como buena conductividad eléctrica y térmica. Estos compuestos pueden preparase mediante extrusión y compresión, técnicas fáciles de escalar a nivel industrial. Además, la combinación de los nanotubos de carbono con otras partículas tales como fullerenos inorgánicos es un método eficaz para mejorar las propiedades mecánicas y tribológicas del PEEK.

July 2012 B22 - MIRIAM beamline	Experiments at Diamond Light Source Members of the group have undertaken a series of experiments at the Infrared Microspectroscopy beamline at the Diamond Light Source, in the UK. Dr Peter Shuttleworth and Dr Gary Ellis, together with Mr José Manuel García of the Physical Chemistry Dept of the ICTP have studied biodegradable polymer blends and composites with interest for tissue repair startegies.
The group has a long-standing experience in the application of synchrotron based techniques in the characterization of polymeric materials, particularly using wide and small angle x-ray diffraction (WAXS y SAXS), and synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy (SIRMS). For more than fifteen years the group has undertaken EU supported projects with WAXS-SAXS in HASYLAB (DESY, Hambourg, Germany) and x-ray microdiffraction at the ESRF (Grenoble, France), and since 2003 with SIRMS in different synchrotrons, such as LURE (Paris, France), NSLS (Brookhaven National Lab, NY, USA), BESSY-II (Berlin, Germany), and more recently DIAMOND LIGHT SOURCE (Didcot, UK). Links to more information on the beamlines used can be found below (Link to DIAMOND above):

A2 beamline BL ID-13	U10b and U4IR beamlines	SMIS beamline	IRIS beamline, BESSY-II

June 2012	"Progress" in polyetherketone nanocomposites Members of the research team have recently published in the high-impact journal *Progress in Materials Science* (IF= 18.216) a detailed review of the state of the art in the development of PEK-based nanocomposite materials, including the most recent advances of the group in this area. LINK TO PAPER
Reduced abstract: Polyetherketones are high-performance thermoplastic materials with a unique combination of toughness, stiffness, thermooxidative stability, chemical and solvent resistance, flame retardancy, and retention of physical properties at high temperatures. Recently the incorporation of nanofillers has been employed to extend their utility in advanced technological applications. This review provides an extensive overview of the research on PEK-based nanocomposites with a special emphasis on both carbon-based nanofillers (nanotubes, nanofibers,...) and inorganic nanoparticles, and considers fabrication methods, incorporation strategies (including polymer functionalization, covalent grafting and nanofiller wrapping in compatibilizing systems), and the analysis of the influence of these as well as the nanofiller type, attributes and loading on the structure and properties of the resulting materials. Remarkably improved thermal stability, electrical and thermal conductivity as well as mechanical property enhancements are found for polymers incorporating carbon nanofillers, whereas inorganic nanoparticles significantly enhances the tribological properties of the matrix. Finally, current and potential applications in diverse fields are described.
Web cuttings	InfoCTP

June 2012	Over 8,000 downloads in the first 6 months The book chapter "Graphene-Based Polymer Nanocomposites" by Salavagione, et al. has passed the 8,000 downloads mark, according to the publisher InTech Publishing. The chapter is included in the Open Access book Physics and Applications of Graphene - Experiments (ISBN: 978-953-307-217-3) edited by Sergey Mikhailov. The top 5 download countries are USA, with 1219 downloads, followed by China, Republic of Korea, India and Japan. More details can be found on the publishers website (see statistics frame). FREE DOWNLOAD OF CHAPTER HERE


April	Chem On Tubes 2012 Members of the group presented work on polymer-solvent synergy in nanotube solubility, and click chemistry on graphene. More details HERE.

March	Something just clicked! A click coupling approach was employed to covalently modify graphene flakes with a conjugated polymer, and some striking solvent-dependent electronic effects were observed. Published in Chem. Eur. J. More HERE.

February	Hot off the Press! Synthesis of PANI-Graphene composites with electrochemical activity close to physiological pH. Just released in Carbon. More details on our publications HERE.

Polymer Physics Group

Department of Physics, Elastomers & Energy Applications