2019 Volume 36 Pages Cover36_1
KONA Powder and Particle Journal is a refereed scientific journal that publishes articles on powder and particle science and technology. This journal has been published annually since 1983 and is distributed free of charge to researchers, members of the scientific communities, universities and research libraries throughout the world, by Hosokawa Powder Technology Foundation (http://www.kona.or.jp/) established by Mr. Masuo Hosokawa in 1991.
The Chinese character “粉” in the cover is pronounced “KONA” in Japanese, and means “Powder”. The hand written “” is after Mr. Eiichi Hosokawa, founder of the Hosokawa Micron Corporation (http://www.hosokawamicron.co.jp/en/global.html).
As an important part of modern devices and gadgets, polymer-based products have advanced through the introduction of nanoparticle fillers using several methods including blending, layer-by-layer, co-deposition and polymer infiltration, etc. Nanocomposites can improve significantly, for example, the mechanical, thermal, dielectric, conductive and magnetic performance of the polymer. However, manufacture constraints, cost and environmental/health concerns may hinder the quantity of admixed nanoparticles in the composite. Therefore, manufacturing and applications of nanocomposites should be considered wisely in order to balance the gains with possible drawbacks. This is discussed in detail on pp. 3–32.