Nano-Science and Nano-Technology: (Bio)Polymers and (Bio)Composites
Full course description
Nanotechnology and nanoscience entails substantially more than descending geometrically to nanometer length-scale. In fact, the yet emerging field of nanomaterials, as well from technological as scientific perspective, brings chemists, physicists, material scientists and engineers, biologists, medical scientists, and surgeons together. It is this multi- and inter-disciplinary aspect of nanotechnology and nanoscience in particular that sets half the framework of the course, providing the necessary tools/foundation to meet the learning goals described below.
The second half of the framework relies on targeting (bio)polymer nanocomposites. As a consequence, the road in reaching the learning goals and examination is conceptual, and may sometimes even be philosophical in nature. Here I wish to phrase the elementary learning goal once more: “master the intimate relationships between various scientific disciplines, which at first sight may seem unrelated, uniquely merging in nanoscience and technology and directed to bio-inspired nano-structure induced functionality”.
Nature treasures myriads of astonishing material functionalities expressed at macroscopic length-scale but originating from cooperative hierarchical structure effects down to nanometer length-scales. The structural organisation across various length-scales defines these natural materials as being composites where properties of the different constituents cooperatively contribute to added functionalities. For decades, material scientists have been intrigued by the functionalities of plant, animal, microbial and biomineralized constructs with unique structural elements at nanometre length-scale. Whether being alive or not, these constructs are products of evolutionary optimisation for survival and reproduction.
Via which unique combination of analytical techniques did the scientific community link biological macroscopic functionality to nano-structured design? Why is the targeted material functionality only accessible via nano-metric design? How do physical phenomena change at nano-meter length-scales? Is the biological functionality reserved for biobased composite constituents only? What is the optimum synthetic reproduction strategy and proof for technical implementation? Geared with the lecture and PBL content, you shall answer all these questions for your personally selected nano-structured biocomposite to ultimately lecture eachother.
Course objectives
The ultimate goal of the course is the understanding of the intimate relationships between various scientific disciplines, which at first sight may seem unrelated but that uniquely merge in nanoscience and technology, fostering unique effects at various, but specially nanometer length-scales. The specific focus is, but is surely not limited to, bio-inspired nano-structured induced material functionalities.
Seven Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) are defined:
1. Manage (S) (dis)advantages of materials design at nanometer lengths-scale.
2. Justify (S) various fabrication strategies for the making of nanostructure induced material functionalities – synthetic, natural and bio-inspired.
3. Understand (K) the concepts of, and predict (A) molecular self-assembly, its thermodynamics and kinetics, and the role of non-covalent inter and intramolecular forces.
4. Appraise (S) the (dis)advantages of characterization methods in relation to resolve questions at the nano-meter length-scale by fundamentals of advanced spectroscopic and microscopic methods, bridging our understanding at molecular and microscopic length-scales.
5. Explain (K), predict and apply (A) the relationships between nano-structures and material functionalities properties in biological and technological context.
6. Interpret (A) and critically assess (S) peer-reviewed research papers.
7. Design and report the fabrication and analytical verification of nano-filler functionalized polymeric composites
Recommended reading
Mandatory Literature:
- L. Cademartiri and G. A. Ozin, Concepts of Nanochemistry, Chapter 1, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH, 2009, ISBN: 978-3-527-32626-6.
- C. Bréchignac, P. Houdy, M. Lahmani (Eds.), Nanomaterials and Nanochemistry, European Materials Research Society, Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York, 2006, 978-3-540-72992-1.
Additional Literature:
Peer-reviewed publications referred to in the lecture notes and individually selected for support of the final assignments.
Please note that the course content connects cutting-edge developments in natural sciences and engineering to fundamentals in the fabrication and characterization of nano-structured materials using a common language that is unique to the BioBased Materials Science Master of Maastricht University. Consequently, a single comprehensive source of literature that cover all does not exist. Take ownership in the collection and securing of study material.