Access

News and Views

Nature Materials 8, 249–250 (1 April 2009) | doi:10.1038/nmat2416

Nanoparticle Assembly: Anisotropy unnecessary

Christopher Y. Li

Nanocomposites have attracted substantial attention since the first reports in the 1980s. Nanofillers with at least one dimension below 100 nm, including spheres, tubes/rods/wires, and plates, have been included in polymeric matrices at relatively low concentrations (under 5% by volume), leading to profound improvements in the polymer's properties.