Recent advances in colloidal nanocomposite design via heterogeneous polymerization techniques

The design and synthesis of composite nanoparticles consisting of a polymeric phase and an inorganic/organic phase has enjoyed a period of extensive development in recent times due to numerous advances in heterogeneous polymerization. In this review, we look at several key advances that have shaped this field in the past decade. Specifically, advances in encapsulation technologies via emulsion and miniemulsion polymerization are considered, in addition to the advent of polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) that has afforded morphological control of such composites. The use of nanomaterials as particle (Pickering-type) stabilizers is also discussed as a method of generating composite nanoparticles in one step. Specific applications of these nanocomposites in terms of materials properties are also highlighted.