Recent Trends and Future Outlooks in the Field of Clay‐Containing Polymer Nanocomposites

Abstract

Kingdom of Saudi Arab by accessing new properties and exploiting unique synergies between constituents that only occur when the length scale of the morphology and the critical length associated with the fundamental physics of a given property coincide. These materials are called nanocomposites, in which the total interfacial area becomes the critical characteristic rather than simply the relative volume fraction of constituents. [ 2 ] Research has shown that, in the case of polymeric materials, nanocomposite technology not

Síntese de nanocompósitos com propriedades anisotrópicas via polimerização radicalar controlada em emulsão

“…2,5 This type of clays presents unique properties, including a large chemically active surface area, a high exchange capacity and special hydration characteristics. Laponite, specifically, was chosen for this work since it has some other additional advantages that make it an ideal model substrate, such as a high chemical purity, a uniform dispersity of the elementary platelets and the ability to produce clear dispersions.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] Since the reinforcement efficiency of inorganic fillers is strongly related to their aspect ratio, anisotropic particles, such as clay platelets, are considered exceptional fillers. Besides bringing several gains to the mechanical properties of these materials, including enhancements in hardness, mechanical strength and scratch resistance, clay platelets can also contribute to various other improvements, such as better optical, thermal and gas barrier properties, as well as significant weight and cost reductions.…”

“…For this purpose, the use of reversible deactivation radical polymerization has been extremely attractive, allowing the synthesis of hybrid particles with controlled morphologies. Many publications have been dedicated to the synthesis of these materials through the grafting-from [4][5][6] and the grafting-to 7,8 techniques (further discussed in Chapter 4) in solution. However, the adaptation of these methods to miniemulsion [9][10][11][12][13][14] and, more specifically, to emulsion systems, allowed by the development of the polymerizationinduced self-assembly (PISA) technique, has opened new horizons for the synthesis of nanocomposites.…”

“…The presence of charged or ionizable monomers of DMAEMA, with opposite charge to that of the inorganic particle surface, is strategic to promote strong electrostatic interaction of the macroRAFT copolymers with the negatively charged clay particles. [3][4][5][6] As an alternative to cationic macroRAFT agents, PEG-based homo and copolymers were also selected considering their potential to adsorb on clay particles. [7][8][9][10][11][12] When compared to positively charged molecules, a weaker interaction is expected for neutral PEG polymers, so some of these molecules were also designed containing negatively charged carboxylic acid groups (AA) as an attempt to promote interaction with the positively charged rims of the platelets as well.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5] The presence of clay particles confers various advantages over the pure polymeric counterparts of these materials, including enhanced hardness, mechanical strength and scratch resistance, improved optical and thermal properties, reduced gas permeability, as well as the attribution of novel and specific properties, and significant reductions in weight and even in the cost of these materials. Numerous examples of LSPNs are already commercially available and, in recent years, increasing attention has been dedicated to soft film-forming LSPN latexes due to the outstanding properties that these materials can offer in diverse coating applications.…”