Nano composite materials

Composites are replacing the conventional and non- conventional alloys and materials. They are used to enhance the material properties & performance efficiency. Also to design materials with combination of desired properties. Nano composites are the developed version in use. Nano means a Greek prefix of "one billionth". Its basic unit of measure is nanometer (nm) or 10^-9 m. This is a science more than technology. It is also called as Nano Science. Various properties, processes and the applications of Nanocomposites are discussed in brief. The main trends in the structural composite field are related to the reduction of the cost which cannot only be related to the improvement in the manufacturing technology, but needs integration between design, material, process, tooling, quality assurance, and manufacturing. Moreover, the high-tech industry, such as telecommunication, where specific functional properties are the principal requirements, will take advantages by the composite approach in the next future. The control of the filler size, shape and surface chemical nature has a fundamental role in the development of materials that can be utilized to develop devices, sensors and actuators based on the tailoring of functional properties such as optical, chemical and physical, magneto-elastic etc. Finally, a future technological challenge will be the development of a new class of smart composite materials whose elasto-dynamic response can be adapted in real time in order to significantly enhance the performance of structural and mechanical systems under a diverse range of operating conditions.