This technology is a method for the self-assembly of spherical nanoparticles into anisotropic structures in polymer nanocomposite materials.
Polymer nanocomposite materials, in which nanoparticles are incorporated into bulk polymer matrices, have unique mechanical, chemical, and electrical properties that can be beneficial to a variety of industries. However, it is difficult to control the assembly of nanoparticles in polymer matrices to form anisotropic (non-uniform) structures required for many applications. The development of methods to direct the assembly of nanocomposites using straightforward manufacturing techniques is critical to expanding the use of these materials for important applications such as flame-retardant materials, electronics, photonics, and biomedical devices.
This technology details a method for the self-assembly of inorganic isotropic (spherical) nanoparticles into highly anisotropic structures within an organic polymer matrix. Composites are prepared by mixing nanoparticles grafted with polymer chains with a matrix matching the brush chains. Depending on the number and length of grafted polymer chains, the particles self-assemble at low solid loadings into several anisotropic structures, such as one-dimensional strings, two-dimensional sheets, and 3-dimensional networks. In addition to chain length and density, modification of nanoparticle surface and solution composition enables simple, reliable assembly control and tunable mechanical properties of the resulting nanocomposite.
IR M08-041
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