Engineered Nanocomposite Materials Properties through Embedding of Smaller Nanoparticles in a Polymer Matrix

Polymer nanocomposites are significant for modern and future technologies due to their tailored properties, lightweight and low-cost. However, ‘forward’ engineered polymer (host matrix) composites with smaller size nanoparticles (guest) providing desired properties targeting specific applications remains a challenging task as they depend on nanoparticles size, shape and loading. This study investigates polymer nanocomposites impregnated with ‘organic-inorganic’ silsesquioxane nanoparticles (diameter ~2-5nm) and graphene nanoribbons (lateral dimension ~5-10 nm) in poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) matrix (segment ~5nm) and investigates microscopic structure and interfacial dynamics to predict macroscale properties. This approach reinforces the role of molecular parameters controlling the structure and interfacial layer dynamics. The atomic force spectroscopy will reveal morphology and the lattice bonding, interfacial stress transfer and conjugation length are determined from Raman spectroscopy. Temperature dependent broadband dielectric spectroscopy provided fundamental insights into the interfacial and diffusion dynamics above and below glass transition temperature and to establish microstructure-property correlations.