Nanocomposites

Increasingly, nanomaterials are being integrated with polymers and composites to create the next generation of materials systems with novel material properties. A variety of nanoscale reinforcements have been utilized to impart multifunctionality to nanostructured composites. This collection of articles focuses on the use of nanocomposites for for use in sensing applications. Over the past several years, nanocomposites have been utilized in  electrochemical sensing, gas sensing, biosensing, and electromechanical sensing for strain, damage, and cracks.

Early research in nanocomposites focused on the improvement of mechanical properties due to the integration of nanoscale reinforcements in the matrix. More recently, these nanoscale reinforcements have been investigated for their ability to alter the functional properties, such as electrical or thermal properties. Nanocomposites have the potential to be utilized as sensors due to coupling of their material properties and significant progress has been made in their use for structural health monitoring, gas sensing for detecting toxic gases such as CO and NO2, chemical sensing to detect the presence of hazardous chemicals, or biosensors for detecting biological molecules like proteins and enzymes.

This collection of articles is focused on the use of nanocomposites in sensing applications and encompasses original research in topics that include, but are not limited to, structural health monitoring, in situ damage sensing, actuation, smart materials, wearable technology, electrochemical sensing, biosensing, and chemical detection.

Erik Thostenson's institutional page.

Sagar Doshi's institutional page.

Disclosure Statement: The Guest Advisor Team declare no conflicts of interest regarding this work.

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