EAGER: The First Steps toward Giant Magnetoresistive Carbon Nanocomposites

这项早期探索性研究补助金(AGERGE)奖通过结合碳的稳定性和金属纳米颗粒的强磁化作用，为新型巨磁电阻(GMR)磁性碳纳米复合材料的探索准备提供资金，有可能提供传统金属GMR材料的潜在替代方案。该项目将涉及商业磁性纳米颗粒的表面功能化，并将评估大规模生产碳纳米复合材料的可行性。处理这些聚合物纳米复合材料所需的稳定化、碳化和石墨化条件将被确定，以便大规模制造GMR磁性碳纳米复合材料。我们将测试利用石墨炭保护磁性纳米粒子免受氧化的可行性，并建立工艺-结构-性能关系。如果研究成功，将为磁场传感提供新型的磁性碳纳米复合材料，并将揭示这些新型GMR材料中电子-磁输运的本质。这将促进制造下一代GMR材料所需的知识，并提供变革性的传感纳米技术。与导电金属的易氧化相比，磁性碳纳米复合材料具有制造简单、机械性能好、酸稳定性高和各向同性等优点，在电信、电子、传感器、阳极催化剂和航空航天工业等领域具有潜在的应用前景。它们还具有设备小型化和轻量化的潜力。这一急切项目的成功将为这些用于恶劣环境中磁场传感的GMR磁性碳纳米复合材料提供初步评估，并使其部署对工业研究人员和学术科学家都更具吸引力。

This EArly Grant for Exploratory Reserach (EAGER) award provides funding for exploration preparation of novel giant magnetoresistance (GMR) magnetic carbon nanocomposites by combining the stability of carbon and strong magnetization of metal nanoparticles, potentially providing promising alternatives to the traditional metal GMR materials. This project will involve the surface functionalization of commercial magnetic nanoparticles and will evaluate the feasibility of the large scale production of carbon nanocomposites. The stabilization, carbonization and graphitization conditions needed to treat these polymer nanocomposites will be determined to allow the large scale manufacturing of GMR magnetic carbon nanocomposites. The feasibility of using graphitic carbon to protect magnetic nanoparticles against oxidation will be tested and process-structure-property relationships will be established.If successful, the research will provide novel magnetic carbon nanocomposites for magnetic field sensing, and also will unveil the nature of the electron magneto-transport in these novel GMR materials. This will advance the knowledge required to manufacture next-generation GMR materials and provide transformative sensing nanotechnology. As compared to the easy oxidation of conductive metals, magnetic carbon nanocomposites may potentially be applied in telecoms, electronics, sensors, anode catalysts and the aerospace industry, due to their easy manufacturing, better mechanical properties, high stability in acids, and isotropic properties. They also have potential for device miniaturization and light weight. The success of this EAGER project will provide initial evaluations on these GMR magnetic carbon nanocomposites for magnetic field sensing in harsh environments and make their deployment more attractive to both industrial researchers and academic scientists.