Electrophoretic deposition of biomimetic nanocomposites

We report a simple and rapid electrophoretic deposition technology for assembling gibbsite (Al(OH)3) nanoplatelets/polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposites in a single step. The single-crystalline gibbsite nanoplatelets with high-aspect ratio are preferentially oriented with their crystallographic c-axis perpendicular to the electrode surface, mimicking the ordered brick-and-mortar nanostructure found in the nacreous layer of mollusk shells. The electrodeposited inorganic–organic nanocomposite films are optically transparent and flexible, even though the weight fraction of the brittle inorganic phase is higher than 80%. The current bottom-up technology enables scalable production of large-area nanocomposites with ordered layered structure that have potential applications ranging from gas-barrier films for optoelectronic devices to light-weight reinforced materials.