Disordered Hyperuniformity and Structure-Property Correlation in a Single-Component Nanocomposite material Thin Film

In this work, we investigate the structure-property relationship in single-component polymer-grafted nanoparticle (PGNP) thin films composed of PMMA-g-SiO₂. Disordered-hyperuniform (DH) structures were observed immediately after film casting, and two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (2D-FFT) analysis was used to quantify the degree of hyperuniformity. The results show that the system progressively approaches the DH regime depending on annealing time, method, and molecular mass. For molecular masses below Mn < 40 k, the as-cast films exhibit strong hyperuniformity across all measured thicknesses, whereas for higher molecular masses (Mn > 40 k), the system only tends to approach the DH regime. The mechanical properties of the thin films were further characterized using the Strain-Induced Elastic Buckling Instability for Mechanical Measurements (SIEBIMM) method and correlated with their structural order. Interestingly, films exhibiting higher degrees of hyperuniformity showed a lower elastic modulus compared to non-hyperuniform counterparts, suggesting that nanoscale structural organization strongly influences the mechanical response of PGNP thin films. A detailed analysis of AFM images and the resulting structure–property correlations will be presented and discussed. Overall, this study provides new insight into how hyperuniform structural order governs mechanical behavior in polymer-grafted nanoparticle systems.