Methods for Synthesis of Nanoparticles and Fabrication of Nanocomposites

This chapter deals with the synthesis of nanoparticles, and the synthesis and fabrication of nanocomposites—metal, ceramic, and polymeric. Various methods used to synthesize nanoparticles, such as coprecipitation, hydrothermal synthesis, inert gas condensation, ion sputtering scattering, microemulsion, microwave, pulse laser ablation, sol-gel, sonochemical, spark discharge, template synthesis, and biological synthesis, will be described. The synthesis of metal nanocomposites includes spray pyrolysis, liquid infiltration, the rapid solidification process, high-energy ball milling, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, and chemical processes—sol-gel and colloidal. The synthesis of ceramic nanocomposites includes the powder process, polymer precursor process, and the sol-gel process. Finally, the fabrication of polymer nanocomposites includes intercalation, in situ intercalative polymerization, melt intercalation, template synthesis, mixing, in situ polymerization, and the sol-gel process. A summary with perspective concludes the chapter.