Oil and water may not mix, but adding the right nanoparticles to the recipe can convert these two immiscible fluids into an exotic gel with uses ranging from batteries to water filters to tint-changing smart windows.
A new approach to creating this unusual class of soft materials could carry them out of the laboratory and into the marketplace.
Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Delaware have found what appears to be a better way to create these gels, which have been an area of intense research focus for more than a decade. [Read more…] about Nanoparticle gel unites oil and water in manufacturing-friendly approach