Processing of Nanoparticle Materials and Nanostructured Films

There have been extraordinary developments in nanomaterials in thepast two decades. Nanomaterial processing is one of the keycomponents for this success. This volume, titled Processing ofNanoparticle Materials and Nanostructured Films, is a collection ofthe papers presented at Controlled Processing of Nanoparticle-basedMaterials and Nanostructured Films symposium held during theMaterials Science and Technology 2009 conference(MS&T'09), October 25-29, 2009 in Pittsburgh, PA. Itsummarizes the progress that has been achieved most recently inunderstanding and processing nanoparticle-based materials andnanostructured films.Nanoparticle-based materials and nanostructured films hold greatpromise to enable a broad range of new applications. This includeshigh energy conversion efficiency fuel cells, smart materials, highperformance sensors, and structural materials under extremeenvironments. However, many barriers still exist in understandingand controlling the processing of nanoparticle-based materials andnanostructured films. In particular, agglomeration must becontrolled in powder synthesis and processing to enable thefabrication of homogeneous green or composite microstructures, andmicrostructure evolution must be controlled to preserve the sizeand properties of the nanostructures in the finished materials.Also, novel nanostructure designs are highly needed at all stagesof bulk and thin film nanomaterial formation process to enableunique performances, low cost, and green engineering. This volumefocuses on three general topics, 1) Processing to preserve andimprove nanoscale size, structure, and properties, 2) Novel designand understanding of new nanomaterials, such as new synthesisapproaches, templating, and 3D assembly technologies, and 3)Applications of nanoparticle assemblies and composites and thinfilms.