Trends and Developments of Polymer Nanocomposites toward Multifunctional Applications

Dear Colleagues,

During the past two decades, research into nanocomposites has led to the development of materials with properties that are far superior to those of not only the parent materials but also of conventional microcomposites. Nanocomposites are organic inorganic hybrid materials where the inorganic filler has at least one dimension on the nanometer scale. The nanoscale dispersion of the filler within the polymer matrices leads to tremendous interfacial contacts between the organic and inorganic phases, which in turn generates an interfacial material that has an altogether different morphology and also has properties that are superior to those of the bulk polymer phase. As a result, significant improvements in the properties of nanocomposites may be realized at much lower filler concentrations. Most importantly, these properties cover the entire spectrum of the polymer nanocomposites, with potential applications from automobile body parts to high-barrier packaging materials and from highly scratch-resistant composites to biodegradable nanocomposites.

In recent years, nanocomposites with practically all polymer systems have been used to improve one property or another with varying degrees of success. A range of factors that influence not only the morphology but also the final properties of composites have been identified, including interfacial interactions between the filler and the polymer phase (optimization of filler surface modification, kinetic and thermodynamic factors influencing intercalation and exfoliation, etc.), the nature of the polymer (polar or nonpolar, molecular weight, etc.), the nature of the filler (aspect ratio, size, geometry, cation–exchange capacity, etc.), the processing methodologies, and the amount of inorganic filler. Yet these improved properties are the result of many different mechanisms at play, owing to the presence of inorganic fillers within the polymers; consequently, an enhancement of one property does not directly translate into an enhancement of the other properties. Thus, it is important to gain insights into these different factors and considerations that are responsible for enhancing these various properties, the optimization of which may, in time, lead to nanocomposites being designed according to need.

Dr. Iman Taraghi
Dr. Sandra Paszkiewicz
Guest Editors

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