Dynamics of dense nanosuspensions: a pathway to novel functional materials

Nanoparticles serve as additives for controlling the liquid properties.

They areextensively applied in food industry and home care products, they are the essential part of ink and paint formulations and ofcoatings, they are used for manufacturing of functional materials and are very promising drug carriers. The presence of nanoparticlesin air or in water can influence the Earth ecology and human health.

Although dilute suspensions of nanoparticles which are close toequilibrium have been extensively studied, in many important applications, such as food industry and printing, the suspensions aredense, or strongly interacting, they experience significant external stress and are far from equilibrium.

A fundamental understandingof interaction between nanoparticles in liquid bulk and at interfaces, allowing to effectively use particulate systems in theseapplications, has not yet been achieved.

The aim of the NanoPaInt network is understanding, predictive modelling and applicationof the strongly interacting nanoparticle-laden systems out of equilibrium.

The specific objectives are: understanding stronginteractions between the nanoparticles and their effect on the rheological properties of suspensions; understanding the behavior ofnanoparticles in complex interfacial flows under strong external forces and with wetting and dewetting; design and applications ofsmart capillary nanosuspensions; drying of nanosuspensions towards assembly and fabrication of functional superparticulatesystems.

The training aim of NanoPaInt network is to support the career development of young researchers both in academic andnon-academic sectors and to train a new generation of creative, mobile, entrepreneurial and innovative early-stage researchers(ESRs) through the experience of independent and interdisciplinary research, participation at local and network-wide trainingactivities and intersectorial and international secondments.