A group of Assistant Professor Yohei Okada and Professor Hidehiro Kamiya of the Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology has succeeded in stably dispersing nanoparticles in both water and oil.As a result, the nanoparticles do not stick to each other to form a large mass, and the state of small particles can be maintained.
Nanotechnology is a technology that utilizes the unique properties of nanosize, which occurs at sizes smaller than 100 nanometers (1 / 10 of 1 cm).In nanotechnology, nanoparticles are made from various materials, their properties are investigated and applied, but at that time, the nanoparticles stick to each other and immediately become large lumps, so the created nanoparticles remain in nano size. A distributed system that keeps the particles stable is extremely important.However, until now, the actual situation has been to select an appropriate dispersant by trial and error while observing the types of nanoparticles and solvents.
Therefore, this time, the group aims to stably disperse nanoparticles in various solvents with different degrees of properties such as hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity, and is "amphipathic" that has both hydrophilic and hydrophobic structures. We have succeeded in designing and synthesizing a phosphonic acid-based dispersant.It has also been found that even a slight change in the hydrophilicity-hydrophobic balance of the dispersant has a significant effect on its function as a dispersant.
With this achievement, it is expected that by designing and synthesizing a dispersant tailored to the material and application of nanoparticles, the nanoparticles will be able to fully exhibit their original characteristics in nano size.
