Challenges and advances in nanocomposite processing techniques

Of late, nanotechnology seems to be rapidly thrusting its applications in all aspects of life including engineering and medicine. Materials science and engineering has experienced a tremendous growth in the field of nanocomposite development with enhanced chemical, mechanical, and physical properties. A wide array of research has been conducted in the processing of nanocomposites. Consolidation of these systems from loose particles to bulk free form entities has always been a challenge. To name a few, traditional consolidation techniques such as cold pressing and sintering at high temperatures, hot pressing, and hot isostatic pressing have strong limitations of not being able to retain the nanoscale grain size due to the excessive grain growth during processing. This article reviews in detail the results from numerous studies on various methods for manufacturing nanocomposites with improved properties and retained nanostructures. Both challenges and recent advances are discussed in detail in this review. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.