Effects of asperities and organic-inorganic interactions on the strength of nacre-mimetic composites.

Nacre is a natural organic-inorganic hybrid composite, whose hierarchical structure has a complex influence on its high strength. Many structural features have been discovered, which influence the mechanical properties of nacre, and the authors have a particular interest in the role of the asperities and organic-inorganic interactions. In this study, a composite was prepared which mimics the asperity structure using clay minerals.

Fabrication of a pure TiO2 thin film using a self-polymeric titania nano-sol and its properties.

A pure TiO2 thin film without adding any organic binder was fabricated by using a self-polymeric titania nano-sol (14 mass%), which was prepared by the acid peptization method. The particle size distribution in the 14 mass% TiO2 sol, in which almost of particles had a size below 10.2 nm and the crystal phase confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis was anatase.