1. INTRODUCTION Detection of chemical and biological agents plays a fundamental role in
biomedical, forensic and environmental sciences 1− 4 as well as in anti bioterrorism …

This article provides an up-to-date review on nanocomposites composed of inorganic
nanoparticles and the polymer matrix for optical and magnetic applications. Optical or …

Enormous Raman signal enhancement using gold nanostars (Au NSs) has attracted great
attention due to the excitation of strong electric field on the nanostar tips. The synthetic …

Interfacing inorganic nanoparticles and biological systems with the aim of develo** novel
imaging and sensing platforms has generated great interest and much activity. However, the …

Mechanochromic polymer blends, ie polymer blends characterised by optical
responsiveness to mechanical stimuli, have evoked major interest and experienced …

Metal nanoparticle–polymer composites are versatile materials which not only combine the
unique characteristics of the components, but also manifest mutualistic effects between the …

In this review we describe several examples concerning the attractive properties of smart
polymer composites containing aggregachromic dyes of different nature and structure. The …

Polyolefins are today the most used thermoplastic materials thanks to the high technology
and sustainability of the polymerization process, their excellent thermomechanical …

Thermoplastic polymers like polyolefins, polyesters, polyamide, and styrene polymers are
the most representative commodity plastics thanks to their cost-efficient manufacturing …

The transparency of polymer-particle composites can be markedly enhanced when
nanoparticles are employed instead of larger particles, due to a reduction in light scattering …