ABSTRACT
Nanocomposites offer a new dimension in technology and business opportunities for all sectors of industry, in addition to being environmentally friendly. Bionanocomposites represent an emerging group of nanostructured hybrid materials. Bio-nanocomposites formed by the combination of natural polymers and inorganic solids show at least one dimension on the nanometre scale. There are different methods for the preparation of ceramic matrix nanocomposites. The most common methods used for microcomposites are conventional powder method, polymer precursor route, spray pyrolysis, vapour techniques and chemical methods, which include sol–gel process, colloidal and precipitation approaches and template synthesis. This chapter discusses field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) which was used to characterize particle size and morphology. Co-precipitation method is the most common method for the preparation of magnetite from iron salts to obtain super paramagnetic particles of the iron oxide, without any stabilizing surfactant agents.
