TABLE OF CONTENTS Although the terms nanomaterial and nanocomposite represent new and exciting fields in materials science, such materials have actually been used for centuries and have always existed in nature. However, it is only recently that the means to characterise and control structure at the nanoscale have stimulated rational investigation and exploitation. A nanocomposite is defined as a composite material where at least one of the dimensions of one of its constituents is on the nanometre size scale [1]. The term usually also implies the combination of two (or more) distinct materials, such as a ceramic and a polymer, rather than spontaneously phase-segregated structures. The challenge and interest in developing nanocomposites is to find ways to create macroscopic components that benefit from the unique physical and mechanical properties of very small objects within them.
Natural materials such as bone, tooth, and nacre are very good examples of the successful implementation of this concept, offering excellent mechanical properties compared to those of their constituent materials. Such composites actually exhibit beautifully organised levels of hierarchical structure from macroscopic to microscopic length scales, and provide a powerful motivation for improving our processing control. Currently, we are striving to understand the behaviour of just the smallest building blocks in such materials which are the...
