Big Effect of Small Nanoparticles: A Shift in Paradigm for Polymer Nanocomposites

Shiwang Cheng; Shi Jie Xie; Jan Michael Y. Carrillo; Bobby Carroll; Halie Martin; Peng Fei Cao; Mark D. Dadmun; Bobby G. Sumpter; Vladimir N. Novikov; Kenneth S. Schweizer; Alexei P. Sokolov

doi:10.1021/acsnano.6b07172

Big Effect of Small Nanoparticles: A Shift in Paradigm for Polymer Nanocomposites

Shiwang Cheng, Shi Jie Xie, Jan Michael Y. Carrillo, Bobby Carroll, Halie Martin, Peng Fei Cao, Mark D. Dadmun, Bobby G. Sumpter, Vladimir N. Novikov, Kenneth S. Schweizer, Alexei P. Sokolov

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

186 Scopus citations

Abstract

Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) are important materials that are widely used in many current technologies and potentially have broader applications in the future due to their excellent property tunability, light weight, and low cost. However, expanding the limits in property enhancement remains a fundamental scientific challenge. Here, we demonstrate that well-dispersed, small (diameter ∼1.8 nm) nanoparticles with attractive interactions lead to unexpectedly large and qualitatively different changes in PNC structural dynamics in comparison to conventional nanocomposites based on particles of diameters ∼10-50 nm. At the same time, the zero-shear viscosity at high temperatures remains comparable to that of the neat polymer, thereby retaining good processability and resolving a major challenge in PNC applications. Our results suggest that the nanoparticle mobility and relatively short lifetimes of nanoparticle-polymer associations open qualitatively different horizons in the tunability of macroscopic properties in nanocomposites with a high potential for the development of advanced functional materials.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	752-759
Number of pages	8
Journal	ACS Nano
Volume	11
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6b07172
State	Published - Jan 24 2017

Funding

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering Division. This research used resources of the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which is supported by the Office of Science of the Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC05-00OR22725.

Keywords

apparent disentanglement
fragility
glass transition
polymer nanocomposites
small nanoparticles

Access to Document

10.1021/acsnano.6b07172

Cite this

@article{19efe79a6b334782989e8f50977f27e7,

title = "Big Effect of Small Nanoparticles: A Shift in Paradigm for Polymer Nanocomposites",

abstract = "Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) are important materials that are widely used in many current technologies and potentially have broader applications in the future due to their excellent property tunability, light weight, and low cost. However, expanding the limits in property enhancement remains a fundamental scientific challenge. Here, we demonstrate that well-dispersed, small (diameter ∼1.8 nm) nanoparticles with attractive interactions lead to unexpectedly large and qualitatively different changes in PNC structural dynamics in comparison to conventional nanocomposites based on particles of diameters ∼10-50 nm. At the same time, the zero-shear viscosity at high temperatures remains comparable to that of the neat polymer, thereby retaining good processability and resolving a major challenge in PNC applications. Our results suggest that the nanoparticle mobility and relatively short lifetimes of nanoparticle-polymer associations open qualitatively different horizons in the tunability of macroscopic properties in nanocomposites with a high potential for the development of advanced functional materials.",

keywords = "apparent disentanglement, fragility, glass transition, polymer nanocomposites, small nanoparticles",

author = "Shiwang Cheng and Xie, {Shi Jie} and Carrillo, {Jan Michael Y.} and Bobby Carroll and Halie Martin and Cao, {Peng Fei} and Dadmun, {Mark D.} and Sumpter, {Bobby G.} and Novikov, {Vladimir N.} and Schweizer, {Kenneth S.} and Sokolov, {Alexei P.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 American Chemical Society.",

year = "2017",

month = jan,

day = "24",

doi = "10.1021/acsnano.6b07172",

language = "English",

volume = "11",

pages = "752--759",

journal = "ACS Nano",

issn = "1936-0851",

publisher = "American Chemical Society",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Big Effect of Small Nanoparticles

T2 - A Shift in Paradigm for Polymer Nanocomposites

AU - Cheng, Shiwang

AU - Xie, Shi Jie

AU - Carrillo, Jan Michael Y.

AU - Carroll, Bobby

AU - Martin, Halie

AU - Cao, Peng Fei

AU - Dadmun, Mark D.

AU - Sumpter, Bobby G.

AU - Novikov, Vladimir N.

AU - Schweizer, Kenneth S.

AU - Sokolov, Alexei P.

PY - 2017/1/24

Y1 - 2017/1/24

N2 - Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) are important materials that are widely used in many current technologies and potentially have broader applications in the future due to their excellent property tunability, light weight, and low cost. However, expanding the limits in property enhancement remains a fundamental scientific challenge. Here, we demonstrate that well-dispersed, small (diameter ∼1.8 nm) nanoparticles with attractive interactions lead to unexpectedly large and qualitatively different changes in PNC structural dynamics in comparison to conventional nanocomposites based on particles of diameters ∼10-50 nm. At the same time, the zero-shear viscosity at high temperatures remains comparable to that of the neat polymer, thereby retaining good processability and resolving a major challenge in PNC applications. Our results suggest that the nanoparticle mobility and relatively short lifetimes of nanoparticle-polymer associations open qualitatively different horizons in the tunability of macroscopic properties in nanocomposites with a high potential for the development of advanced functional materials.

AB - Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) are important materials that are widely used in many current technologies and potentially have broader applications in the future due to their excellent property tunability, light weight, and low cost. However, expanding the limits in property enhancement remains a fundamental scientific challenge. Here, we demonstrate that well-dispersed, small (diameter ∼1.8 nm) nanoparticles with attractive interactions lead to unexpectedly large and qualitatively different changes in PNC structural dynamics in comparison to conventional nanocomposites based on particles of diameters ∼10-50 nm. At the same time, the zero-shear viscosity at high temperatures remains comparable to that of the neat polymer, thereby retaining good processability and resolving a major challenge in PNC applications. Our results suggest that the nanoparticle mobility and relatively short lifetimes of nanoparticle-polymer associations open qualitatively different horizons in the tunability of macroscopic properties in nanocomposites with a high potential for the development of advanced functional materials.

KW - apparent disentanglement

KW - fragility

KW - glass transition

KW - polymer nanocomposites

KW - small nanoparticles

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85018192995&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1021/acsnano.6b07172

DO - 10.1021/acsnano.6b07172

M3 - Article

C2 - 28051845

AN - SCOPUS:85018192995

SN - 1936-0851

VL - 11

SP - 752

EP - 759

JO - ACS Nano

JF - ACS Nano

IS - 1

ER -

Big Effect of Small Nanoparticles: A Shift in Paradigm for Polymer Nanocomposites

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this