Letter abstract
Nature Nanotechnology 2, 765 - 769 (2007)
Published online: 25 November 2007 | doi:10.1038/nnano.2007.379
Subject Categories: Nanomaterials | Structural properties | Synthesis and processing
A versatile approach for the processing of polymer nanocomposites with self-assembled nanofibre templates
Jeffrey R. Capadona1,2,3,7, Otto Van Den Berg1,7, Lynn A. Capadona4, Michael Schroeter1,5, Stuart J. Rowan1,2,3,6, Dustin J. Tyler2,3 & Christoph Weder1,2,6
Abstract
The incorporation of nanoparticles into polymers is a design approach that is used in many areas of materials science1, 2. The concept is attractive because it enables the creation of materials with new or improved properties by mixing multiple constituents and exploiting synergistic effects. One important technological thrust is the development of structural materials with improved mechanical and thermal characteristics3, 4. Equally intriguing is the possibility to design functional materials5 with unique optical6, 7 or electronic properties8, 9, catalytic activity10 or selective permeation11, 12. The broad technological exploitation of polymer nanocomposites is, however, stifled by the lack of effective methods to control nanoparticle dispersion13, 14, 15. We report a simple and versatile process for the formation of homogeneous polymer/nanofibre composites. The approach is based on the formation of a three-dimensional template of well-individualized nanofibres, which is filled with any polymer of choice. We demonstrate that this template approach is broadly applicable and allows for the fabrication of otherwise inaccessible nanocomposites of immiscible components.
- Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2100 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
- Rehabilitation Research and Development, Louis Stokes Cleveland DVA Medical Center, 10701 East Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
- Polymeric Materials Branch, NASA Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44135, USA
- Institute for Polymer Research, GKSS Research Center Geesthacht GmbH, Kantstrasse 55, 14513 Teltow, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, 2100 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
- These authors contributed equally to this work.
Correspondence to: Christoph Weder1,2,6 e-mail: christoph.weder@case.edu
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
RESEARCH
Nanoparticle networks reduce the flammability of polymer nanocompositesNature Materials Article (01 Dec 2005)
Functionalized graphene sheets for polymer nanocompositesNature Nanotechnology Letter (01 Jun 2008)
Quantitative equivalence between polymer nanocomposites and thin polymer filmsNature Materials Article (01 Sep 2005)
Remotely actuated polymer nanocomposites?stress-recovery of carbon-nanotube-filled thermoplastic elastomersNature Materials Letter (01 Feb 2004)
See all 6 matches for Research
