2D materials such as graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), phosphorene and hexagonal boron nitride(hBN) have been extensively surveyed for Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding applications attributed to their modulatable dielectric and electric characteristics. Nano-engineering for these materials is facilitated by interface tailoring, structural design and surface modification to intensify electromagnetic (EM) attenuation. Nevertheless, challenges regarding mechanical integrity, scalable fabrication and impedance matching still persist. Moreover, MXenes are a rapidly expanding class of 2D transition metal carbides and nitrides that provide significant advantages owing to their hydrophilic surface terminations and metallic-conductivity. This review demonstrates recent breakthroughs in nano-engineering of MXene derived materials for EMI shielding. Strategies incorporating morphological, structural, interfacial and surface engineering are focused. Furthermore, the integrated effects of hybridization with carbon-nanomaterials, magnetic fillers and polymers are elucidated to improve shielding. Recent advances in additive manufacturing and AI accelerate the development of lightweight, absorption-dominant MXene nanocomposites for EMI shielding applications.
This paper investigates how filler size affects the elastic properties of a vinyl ester polymer nanocomposite reinforced with titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The interaction between the nanoparticles and polymer chains is modeled as nonbonded, comprising Lennard–Jones and Coulombic terms. The elastic properties of the pure polymer and the nanocomposites are evaluated under uniaxial tension, uniaxial compression, and torsion. The results show that decreasing the filler size improves the mechanical response, increasing the tensile, compressive, and shear moduli. A simple three-phase estimate then predicts higher effective moduli for smaller particles, consistent with our MD-derived non-bonded energetics and the measured tensile, compressive, and shear responses. The “dense three-phase” model is quantitatively supported by analyzing the local density profiles and Radial Distribution Functions (RDF) of the vinyl ester monomers around the TiO2 nanoparticles. This provides the physical basis for the observed stiffening effect.
The present study investigated the mechanical and tribological properties of bi-directional carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites containing nanographene particles, produced by the hand lay-up technique. The various weight fractions of graphene at 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8 and 1.2 wt.% are added to the matrix in the proportion 50:50 by wt.% and evaluated for their mechanical and tribological characteristics. While the bi-directional carbon fiber reinforcement provides structural stability and anisotropic strength, the graphene filler, on the other hand, contributes to good wear resistance and better load transfer efficiency. The experimental results demonstrated significant enhancements in hardness and mechanical strength, as well as better wear resistance of the composites for optimal graphene loading. Furthermore, the work examines the effect of incorporating graphene into the epoxy matrix with carbon fabric reinforcement on the mechanical and wear damage features as observed through scanning electron microscopy.
The discharge of dye-containing industrial effluents into aquatic environments poses ecological risks due to the toxicity of synthetic dyes such as methylene blue (MB). Developing stable and reusable adsorbents remains a critical challenge in wastewater treatment. In this work, a reinforced Acrylamide/gum Arabic/carbon nanotube nanocomposite was synthesized via free-radical polymerization and evaluated for MB removal from aqueous solutions. The prepared nanocomposite was characterized by FTIR, FE-SEM and TGA, confirming effective crosslinking and homogeneous nanofiller dispersion. Adsorption experiments were conducted to examine the influence of pH, initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. In optimized conditions (15 mg L−1 MB, pH = 7, 0.05 g adsorbent, 60 min at room temperature), a maximum removal efficiency of 80% was achieved. Equilibrium data were best fitted to the Freundlich isotherm, while kinetic analysis followed the pseudo-second-order, indicating heterogeneous multilayer adsorption governed predominantly by chemisorption. Thermodynamic parameters revealed that the process is spontaneous and exothermic.
Microscopy is routinely applied to characterize nanomaterials and nanocomposites. Optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are frequently adopted for their simple sample preparation and efficient image acquisition. The majority of literature analyses rely on 2D surface imaging or cross-sectional imaging, often at a single magnification, although they may not be representative, due to the multiscale nature of the structures, as well as preparation and projection artifacts. This paper presents a comprehensive 3D imaging workflow combining serial sectioning OM and SEM to obtain realistic volumetric nanocomposite structures. The relationship between SEM acceleration voltage, electron penetration depth, and image contrast is investigated to enhance sub-surface imaging. Correlative OM and SEM characterization is achieved through multimodal imaging and landmark-based registration. Multiscale reconstruction is demonstrated on three representative ‘graphene’ nanocomposite systems, providing rich datasets on dispersion, distribution, orientation, and morphology. The methodology presented is broadly applicable to other nanocomposites and hierarchical systems.
