HC Plastics News: Researchers at the Department of Energy (DoE) have found ways to improve polymer performance by blending nanoparticles with polymer materials.
A team of scientists led by DoE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is investigating polymer structure interactions, interactions between nanoparticles and polymers, and nanoparticle size and shape versus polymer nanocomposites for structure, kinetics, and The impact of macro characteristics for use in a wide range of applications.
The teams also include researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UTK) to refine the design of new composite polymers because they can be mechanically, chemically, electrically, optically and Thermal properties.
In particular, Alexei Sokolov, a researcher at ORNL and UTK, pointed out that the team is working to verify that the shrinking size of nanoparticles can adversely affect the mechanical properties of polymer nanocomposites.
The researchers said: "The size of the nanoparticles, we expect this will not affect the performance or degradation of the nanocomposites, it really surprised us."
The researchers did not study the optimal nanoparticle size, but believed they would find it. Instead, they found that the real small nanoparticles allowed them to see new properties.
Nanoparticles change the development of polymer composites
On the left side, small nanoparticles adhere to polymer segments of the same size as the nanoparticles themselves; these interactions produce polymer nanocomposites that are easier to process because the nanoparticles move faster and quickly make the material sticky thick. On the right side, many parts of the polymer chain adhere to the larger nanoparticles, making the nanoparticles difficult to move. Its slower motion results in a more difficult to handle viscous material. (Jan-Michael, Carrillo, US Department of Energy Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
This is not because of the size but the small particles move faster than the large particles and interact with the polymer segments on the same chain. More polymer segments adhere to the large nanoparticles, making the chain difficult to free from the nanoparticles.
Experts say: "Now we realize that we can adjust the flow of particles - by changing the particle size and how strong they interact with the polymer, by changing the speed of their surface movement. We can adjust the mobility of the nanoparticles, For example, their weight and size, we can also adjust the nanoparticle and the time the polymer is free by adjusting the intensity of its interaction."
Both of these parameters have a huge impact on the macro characteristics. Experts say: "These parameters are unlikely to be used within the required range of larger nanoparticles, which may be the reason no one actually tried it."
He said the team's wide range of work applications highlights a new way to control the performance of nanocomposites that have been widely used. Experts added: "We expect this idea to be used by many researchers for the development of various polymer nanocomposites for specific applications.
Scientists plan to continue to delve into the effects of nanoparticle mobility and polymer nanoparticle adsorption time on the macroscopic properties of composites to achieve unique properties that were previously impossible. 
Editor in charge: Ye Dan
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