Glass-Based Nanocomposites

Abstract

This chapter reviews investigations on different nanocomposites in which glass has been the matrix phase. Electrical properties at low temperatures are controlled by electron tunneling between metal islands. Glass ceramics with metal particles exhibit a range of electrical resistivity values. These show large resistivity changes as a function of relative humidity. Metal core-metal oxide shell nanostructures grown within a glass show optical absorption spectra which after theoretical analysis leads to the conclusion that below a certain particle diameter the metal shows a metal-insulator transition. Glass-silver nanowire composites exhibit an ultra-high dielectric permittivity. Iron core-barium titanate shell nanostructures grown within silica based glass show a multiferroic behavior. Nanodimensional silica glasses containing lithium ions and grown within the nanopores of CuO and ZnO nanoparticles compacts, respectively are found to have much higher electrical conductivities as compared to those of the corresponding bulk form. Large magnetodielectric effect is observed in composites of nanoglasses and semiconductors which have been explained using Catalan’s model.