title: Review on the Processing and Properties of Polymer Nanocomposites and Nanocoatings and Their Applications in the Packaging, Automotive and Solar Energy Fields.
abstract: For the last decades, nanocomposites materials have been widely studied in the scientific literature as they provide substantial properties enhancements, even at low nanoparticles content. Their performance depends on a number of parameters but the nanoparticles dispersion and distribution state remains the key challenge in order to obtain the full nanocomposites' potential in terms of, e.g., flame retardance, mechanical, barrier and thermal properties, etc., that would allow extending their use in the industry. While the amount of existing research and indeed review papers regarding the formulation of nanocomposites is already significant, after listing the most common applications, this review focuses more in-depth on the properties and materials of relevance in three target sectors: packaging, solar energy and automotive. In terms of advances in the processing of nanocomposites, this review discusses various enhancement technologies such as the use of ultrasounds for in-process nanoparticles dispersion. In the case of nanocoatings, it describes the different conventionally used processes as well as nanoparticles deposition by electro-hydrodynamic processing. All in all, this review gives the basics both in terms of composition and of processing aspects to reach optimal properties for using nanocomposites in the selected applications. As an outlook, up-to-date nanosafety issues are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Giggenhauser Strasse 35, 85354 Freising, Germany. kerstin.mueller@ivv.fraunhofer.de.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: IRIS, Parc Mediterrani de la Tecnologia, Avda. Carl Friedrich Gauss 11, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain. ebugnicourt@iris.cat.
authors.forename: Elodie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bugnicourt
authors.affiliation: ITENE Instituto Tecnológico del Embalaje, Transporte y Logística, Albert Einstein, 1, 46980 Paterna, Spain. marcos.latorre@itene.com.
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Latorre
authors.affiliation: ITENE Instituto Tecnológico del Embalaje, Transporte y Logística, Albert Einstein, 1, 46980 Paterna, Spain. mjorda@itene.com.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jorda
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA)-CSIC, Avda. Agustín Escardino, 7, 46980 Paterna, Spain. yoesanz@uv.es.|Science Education Department, Facultat de Magisteri, Universitat de València, 46022 València, Spain. yoesanz@uv.es.
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Echegoyen Sanz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA)-CSIC, Avda. Agustín Escardino, 7, 46980 Paterna, Spain. lagaron@iata.csic.es.
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lagaron
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Giggenhauser Strasse 35, 85354 Freising, Germany. oliver.miesbauer@ivv.fraunhofer.de.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Miesbauer
authors.affiliation: MBN Nanomaterialia, via Bortolan 42, 31040 Vascon di Carbonera, Italy. research@mbn.it.
authors.forename: Alvise
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bianchin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Occupational Medicine, Research Avenue North, Riccarton, Edinburgh, EH14 4AP, UK. steve.hankin@iom-world.org.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hankin
authors.affiliation: HPX Polymers GmbH, Ziegeleistraße 1, 82327 Tutzing, Germany. info@hpx-polymers.de.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bölz
authors.affiliation: Eurecat, Av. Universitat Autònoma 23, 08290 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain. german.perez@eurecat.org.
authors.forename: Germán
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Giggenhauser Strasse 35, 85354 Freising, Germany. marius.jesdinszki@ivv.fraunhofer.de.
authors.forename: Marius
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jesdinszki
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Giggenhauser Strasse 35, 85354 Freising, Germany. martina.lindner@ivv.fraunhofer.de.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lindner
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Giggenhauser Strasse 35, 85354 Freising, Germany. zuzana.scheuerer@ivv.fraunhofer.de.
authors.forename: Zuzana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Scheuerer
authors.affiliation: Bioinicia, Calle Algepser, 65-Nave 3 | Polígono Industrial Táctica | 46980 Paterna (Valencia), Spain. sara.castello@bioinicia.com.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Castelló
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Giggenhauser Strasse 35, 85354 Freising, Germany. markus.schmid@ivv.fraunhofer.de.|Chair for Food Packaging Technology, Technische Universität München, Weihenstephaner Steig 22, 85354 Freising, Germany. markus.schmid@ivv.fraunhofer.de.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmid
keywords: barrier improvement; electrospraying; light-weight materials; nanocomposite; nanodeposit; self-cleaning surfaces