title: Omni-composites: a new strategy for forming bulk nanostructured materials.
abstract: This work describes a new route for producing bulk materials from extremely high loading levels of inorganic nanoparticles, approaching 80%, while maintaining optical transparency. More specifically, LaF3 nanoparticles with trifluorovinyl ether (TFVE) ligands were synthesized. Because a single nanoparticle will have many functional ligands attached to its surface, the nanoparticles themselves act as cross-linkers, without the need for a matrix phase for the composite, promoting homogeneity and reduced optical scattering. In order to distinguish these new types of composites from traditional nanocomposites, they are referred to here as "omni"-composites because the material is composed entirely (Lat. omnino) of composite nanoparticles.
authors.affiliation: Center for Optical Materials Science & Engineering Technologies and the School of Materials Science & Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634-0971, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: DiMaio
authors.forename: Baris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kokuoz
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ballato