Self-Assembled Superstructures of Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticles: Effects of Particle Shape and Matrix Polymer

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• 作者：Yung-Lung Lin ; Chi-Shiang Chiou ; Sanat K. Kumar ; Jiang-Jen Lin ; Yu-Jane Sheng ; Heng-Kwong Tsao
• 刊名：Journal of Physical Chemistry C
• 出版年：2011
• 出版时间：April 7, 2011
• 年：2011
• 卷：115
• 期：13
• 页码：5566-5577
• 全文大小：1298K
• 年卷期：v.115,no.13(April 7, 2011)
• ISSN：1932-7455

文摘

The incorporation of nanoparticles into polymer matrices increases reinforcement and leads to stronger plastics. However, controlling the spatial distribution of nanoparticles within polymer matrices is a challenge in improving the properties of polymer nanocomposite. Dissipative particle dynamics simulations are employed to investigate the self-assembly of nanoparticles into a variety of anisotropic superstructures. The shape of nanoparticle varies from hexagonal nanoplatelet to nanorod by changing the aspect ratio (S). A hexagonal particle with S 鈮?1 is spherelike. Depending on the grafted chain length and number of grafted chains, the self-assembled structure in the morphology diagram may be spherical aggregate, fillet, ribbon, or string, in addition to dispersed phase. In general, nanoplatelets tend to form string structure while nanorods have a tendency to pack as fillet or ribbon structure. The length of matrix polymer (L_m) changes the phase boundary separating different regions in the morphology diagram. As L_m is increased, the nanoparticle solvophobicity declines and thus results in smaller aggregates generally. Nonetheless, for weakly solvophilic grafted nanoplatelets, the string size grows with L_m due to depletion attraction.