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High-performance elastomeric nanocomposites via solvent-exchange processing

Nature Materials volume 6, pages 76–83 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

The incorporation of nanoparticles into engineering thermoplastics affords engineers an opportunity to synthesize polymer nanocomposites that potentially rival the most advanced materials in nature. Development of these materials is difficult because thermodynamic and kinetic barriers inhibit the dispersal of inorganic, often hydrophilic nanoparticles in hydrophobic polymer matrices. Using a new solvent-exchange approach, we preferentially reinforce the hard microdomains of thermoplastic elastomers with smectic clay of similar characteristic dimensions. The strong adhesion between the clay and the hard microdomains coupled with the formation of a percolative network not only stiffens and toughens, but increases the heat distortion temperature of the material and induces reversible thermotropic liquid-crystalline transitions. The discotic clay platelets induce morphological ordering over a range of length scales, which results in significant thermomechanical enhancement and expands high-temperature applications. Merging block-copolymer processing techniques with this method for preferential ordering of nanoparticle facilitates the development of new, hierarchically ordered materials.

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Figure 1: Structure of Elasthane 80A and Laponite dispersal within the polyurethane matrix.
Figure 2: Impact of Laponite concentration on the mechanical properties of Elasthane.
Figure 3: Impact of Laponite concentration on the thermomechanical properties of Elasthane.
Figure 4: Evidence of long-range order or crystallization in the nanocomposites in images obtained with a cross-polarized microscope.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge S. Kooi, M. Johnson and B. Pate for TEM sample preparation using the FIB, TEM examination of the FIB samples and WAXD collection between 2∘ and 38∘, respectively. This research was supported by the US Army through the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, under contract DAAD-19-02-0002 with the US Army Research Office. S.M.L. was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies and Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA

    Shawna M. Liff & Gareth H. McKinley

  2. Intermolecular, Inc., 2865 Zanker Rd, San Jose, California, 95134, USA

    Nitin Kumar

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  2. Nitin Kumar
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Contributions

N.K. developed the solvent-exchange process and carried out the thermal annealing–polarization study. S.M.L prepared the samples and carried out the AFM, DMA, DSC, mechanical analyses and initial TEM. The creep experiments and x-ray diffraction studies were carried out jointly.

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Correspondence to Gareth H. McKinley.

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Liff, S., Kumar, N. & McKinley, G. High-performance elastomeric nanocomposites via solvent-exchange processing. Nature Mater 6, 76–83 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1798

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