Making temperature-sensitive porous nanolayers
A method of manufacturing porous nanolayers using temperature-sensitive substrates has been developed by scientists.
Traditionally such materials are made using flame spray pyrolysis (FSP), but this process is limited by the thermal sensitivity of the substrate onto which the nanoparticles are coated. Furthermore the mechanical stability of the layers is often weak in liquid environments.
The new process involves separating the pyrolysis step from the introduction of the final substrate material. In stage one the nanoparticles (e.g. titanium dioxide) are coated onto an initial substrate, using FSP, to create an intermediate porous nanolayer material. In stage two a new substrate is applied to the intermediate material to create a ‘nanoparticle sandwich’, which is passed through rollers under pressure and at low temperature. The nanoparticle layer transfers to the new substrate to yield the final material.
The technique produces materials that have superior mechanical stability, and opens up the possibility of using different substrates, such as polypropylene foil.
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