• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.95-96
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• 2006

Surface modification of clay minerals has become increasingly important for improving the practical applications of clays such as polymeric nanocomposites. We used the copolymer as modifiers having phenyl components, and successfully developed a route for the preparation of amine functionalized polymer based on oligostyrene and its block copolymers. The oligo(St-co-VBC)s with controlled molecular weight were synthesized via nitroxide mediated polymerization method. We also successfully prepared organophilic layered silicates whose surface is covered with styrenic copolymers. Through the analysis of chemical structure and morphology, we concluded that copolymers were very effective organic modifiers to change the surface characteristics of layered silicates.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2017

In this study, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite films containing various content of GO were prepared using solution casting method. The effect of GO content on Young's modulus and dispersion of GO in PHBV matrix was investigated. Also, the thermomechanical properties, oxygen transmission rates and hydrolytic degradation of PHBV/GO nanocomposite films were studied. The addition of GO into PHBV improves the Young's modulus and decreases thermal expansion coefficient. The improvement can be mainly attributed to good dispersion of GO and interfacial interactions between PHBV and GO. Furthermore, PHBV/GO nanocomposite films show good oxygen barrier properties. PHBV/GO nanocomposites show lower hydrolytic degradation rates with increasing content of GO.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.41-45
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• 2005

As an effort to explore the effective use of carbon nanotubes as a reinforcing material for advanced nano-composites with polymer matrices, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were successfully incorporated into polystyrene (PS) via in-situ bulk polymerization. Various experimental techniques revealed that the covalent bonds formed between PS radicals and acid-treated carbon nanotubes are favorable resulting in an effective load transfer. The enhanced storage modulus of the nanocomposites suggests a strong possibility for the potential use in industrial applications.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.163-168
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• 2008

Polystyrene/gold nanoparticle (PS/AuNP) composite fibers were fabricated using an electrospinning technique. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the diameters of the naphthalenethiol-capped gold nanoparticles (prior to incorporation into the PS fibers) ranged from 2 to 5 nm. UV-vis spectroscopy revealed the surface plasmon peaks of the gold nanoparticles centered at approximately 512 nm, indicating that nano-sized Au particles are well-dispersed in solution. This was consistent with the TEM observations. The electrospun nanofibers of PS/AuNP composites were approximately 60-3,000 nm in diameter. The surface morphology of the PS/AuNP composite and the dispersability of the Au nanoparticles inside of PS after electrospinning process were investigated by SEM and TEM. The thermal behavior of the pure PS and PS/AuNP nanocomposites and fibers were examined by DSC.

• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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• v.67
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• pp.1-11
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• 2018

Polymer composites offered broad engineered applications, however their diversity get restricted owing to fluctuations in thermomechanical properties during heating or cooling hence great concern required prior their applications through thermomechanical analysis (TMA). Traditionally, TMA or dilatometry found to be simple, ideal, reliable, sensitive, excellent and basic thermal analytical technique. TMA provides valuable information on thermal expansion, glass transitions temperature (Tg), softening points, composition and phase changes on material of having different geometries simply by applying a constant force as a function of temperature. This compilation highlights the basics and experimental of TMA for both research and technical applications and also provide literature on TMA of polymers, hybrid composites, nanocomposites and their diverse applications.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.458-463
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• 2003

The effect of ozone surface treatment of montmorillonite (MMT) was investigated in thermal stabilities of polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites. Sodium montmorillonite (Na$\^$+/-MMT) was organically modified with dodecylammonium chloride. The surface properties of MMT, including the specific surface area (S$\_$BET/), equilibrium spreading pressure ($\pi$$\_$e/), and London dispersive component (${\gamma}$s$\^$L/), were studied by the BET method with $N_2$ adsorption. Also, the thermal stabilities of the nanocomposites were investigated in DSC and TGA. As experimental results, $\pi$$\_$e/ and ${\gamma}$s$\^$L/ of the ozonized dodecylammonium chloride (DA-MK ( $O_3$)) were increased in about 1.7 and 3.5 mJ/ $m^2$, resulting from the increasing of the micropores. From the DSC results, it was found that the melting temperature and crystallization temperature of PP/DA-MK and PP/DA-MK ( $O_3$) were higher that those of pure PP. These results were explained that dodecylammonium chloride of nano-scale led to a nucleation effect for PP crystallization. Also, it was found that E$\_$t/ of the PP/DA-MK ( $O_3$) nanocomposies was increased within about 64 kJ/mol. These results were probably explained by the improvement of dispersivity of DA-MK ( $O_3$) in a PP matrix.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.164-165
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• 2006

Carbon nanotube(CNT)-reinforced poly(ethylene-co-ethyl acrylate)(EEA) nanocomposites were prepared by melt mixing with a Haake internal mixer. The CNT loading was vaned from 0 to 20 wt%. The changes m CNT dispersion and shape were investigated with FE-SEM observation with and without the Tensile strain of 40%. The CNT was protruded over the fracture surface upon Tensile strain, which is a very interesting behavior.

• Proceeding of EDISON Challenge
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• 2015.03a
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• pp.304-307
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• 2015

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely accepted and used as the enhancer for polymer nano-composites due to their remarkable mechanical properties. Understandably, the CNT fiber-polymer matrix interface plays a major role in determining the properties of the CNT-polymer nano-composites. Here, using the LCAODFT Lab tool available on the EDISON Nano-Physics site, we performed first-principles density-functional theory calculations to determine the atomic configurations and binding energies of the CNTs in contact with polymers. For the polymer matrixes, we chose poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN), which is one of the most well-known polymer matrixes for the carbon nanofiber nanocomposites. Different chiralities and diameters of pristine CNTs were considered, and several PAN-CNT configurations were prepared based on the atomistic positions and directions of cyano group in PAN. The most favorable configuration of PAN was obtained when the PAN bound parallel to the surface of CNT. Our finding indicates the binding configurations are determined by the direction of the cyano group dominantly rather than the atomistic position of PAN, or the symmetry of CNTs. The result of increasing the length of CNT diameter suggests that PAN is inclinable to align evenly on the surface of relatively large size of CNT with the configuration parallel to the surface. These results obtained in this study will provide the starting point for the design of improved PAN-CNT composites for the next-generation ultra-strong and ultra-light carbon nanofibers.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.350-356
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• 2005

Poly(methyl methauylate)/montmorillonite nanocomposites were incorporated into acrylic bone cement in order to improve the mechanical properties and reduce the exotherm of acrylic bone cement. The nanocomposites were prepared using a suspension polymerization and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, trans-mission electron microscopy, gel permeation chromatography, particle size analyzer and electron dispersive spectroscopy. The acrylic bone cements with poly (methyl methacrylate)/nanocomposite s were prepared and their thermal and mechanical properties were characterized. The prepared polymeric beads were composed of polymer-intercalated nanocomposites with partially exfoliated MMT layers, and the mean diameter of them was $50\~60$ fm with the spherical shape. The maximum setting temperature of the acrylic bone cements decreased from 98 to $81\~87^{circ}C$. The mechanical strengths and moduli of the acrylic bone cement with 0.1 $wt\%$ MMT were increased. compared to that without MMT. However, the mechanical properties were generally decreased with increasing incorporated MMT amounts. It is presumably due to the bubbles in nanocomposite beads generated during polymerization.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.498-505
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• 2007

This study demonstrated the in-situ functionalization with polymers of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) via emulsion polymerization. Polystyrene-functionalized MWNTs were prepared in an aqueous solution containing styrene monomer, non-ionic surfactant and a cationic coupling agent ([2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trime-thylammonium chloride (MATMAC)). This process produced an interesting morphology in which the MWNTs, consisting of bead-string shapes or MWNTs embedded in the beads, when polymer beads were sufficiently large, produced nanohybrid material. This morphology was attributed to the interaction between the cationic coupling agent and the nanotube surface which induced polymerization within the hemimicellar or hemicylindrical structures of surfactant micelles on the surface of the nanotubes. In a solution containing MATMAC alone without surfactant, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were not well-dispersed, and in a solution containing only surfactant without MATMAC, polymeric beads were synthesized in isolation from CNTs and continued to exist separately. The incorporation of MATMAC and surfactant together enabled large amounts of CNTs (> 0.05 wt%) to be well-dispersed in water and very effectively encapsulated by polymer chains. This method could be applied to other well-dispersed CNT solutions containing amphiphilic molecules, regardless of the type (i.e., anionic, cationic or nonionic). In this way, the solubility and dispersion of nanotubes could be increased in a solvent or polymer matrix. By enhancing the interfacial adhesion, this method might also contribute to the improved dispersion of nanotubes in a polymer matrix and thus the creation of superior polymer nanocomposites.