Thermal, optical, mechanical, dielectric, and electrical properties of nanocomposites

In this review paper, different nanocomposites are introduced and their performances considering thermal, mechanical, electrical, and optical properties are evaluated. Nanocomposites are prepared using various techniques with different fillers or reinforcing materials. They are classified into metal-based, polymer-based, carbon- based, and epoxy-based nanocomposites. The optimized concentration of nanofillers or nanoparticles in nano- composite structure and choosing the proper base material strengthens the performance of nanocomposites. The results show that integrating multi-walled carbon nanotubes (2 wt%) to Cu with thermal conductivity of 390 W/ m.K, Polyaniline-photoadduct with an electrical conductivity of 3 x 102 S/cm, Polyaniline-NiFe2O4 with an energy band gap of 1 eV, and nitrogen-alloyed Cr with a maximum hardness of 37 GPa and Young's modulus of 340 GPa can be introduced as best nanocomposites considering their thermal, electrical, optical, and mechanical properties, respectively. The results assist in selecting the appropriate nanocomposite considering their fundamental features for various applications (i.e., fuel cells, photovoltaic-thermal modules, sensors, photocatalysis, aerospace, marine, gas, and oil industries), contributing to a more sustainable and technologically advanced future.