(44f) Nanocomposites with Extremely High Fractions of Nanomaterials Via Infiltration of Polymers into Nanoparticle Packings

A common approach to imbue polymers with useful functionality is to add nanoparticles to produce nanocomposites. Nanocomposites of extraordinary mechanical properties, for example, have been generated by adding high concentrations of anisotropic nanomaterials into polymer matrices. Despite decades of research, however, it remains a challenge to produce nanocomposites with very high concentrations (> 50 vol%) of nanoparticles using conventional methods. Mixtures of polymers and nanoparticles with high nanoparticle contents tend to have high elasticity and viscosity, complicating their processing. In this talk, I will describe a simple, potentially scalable method to manufacture nanocomposite films with extremely high fractions of nanoparticles. A bilayer of polymer and nanoparticles is heated above the glass transition temperature of the polymer to induce capillary rise infiltration (CaRI) of the polymer into the interstitial voids of the nanoparticle packing, producing a nanocomposite film with an extremely high filler fraction (> 60 vol%). I will describe the impact of nanoconfinement on the dynamics of polymer infiltration and also discuss how the composition of the CaRI nanocomposite affect their mechanical properties. I will also describe a complementary method to induce the infiltration of polymers into nanoparticle packings via solvent annealing, which is particularly useful in producing nanocomposites with high glass transition polymers.