Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites

Raw Materials to Applications

Niranjan Karak

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9780128146156
• eBook ISBN: 9780128146163
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Materials Science
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites: Raw Materials to Applications brings together the most recent research in nanoparticles and polymer nanocomposites for a range of applications. The book's coverage is comprehensive, starting with synthesis techniques, then moving to characterization and applications of several different classes of nanomaterial and nanoparticle in nanocomposites. By presenting different nanomaterials, such as metal and metal oxides, clay and POSS, carbon nanotubes, cellulose and bio-based polymers in a structured manner, the book enables an efficient comparison of properties and capabilities for these advanced materials, making it relevant both for researchers in an academic environment and also industrial R&D.This book is particularly distinctive because it centers on the raw materials on which the nanocomposites are based, the biological properties of the range of materials discussed, and the environmental and economic considerations of different polymer systems.- Presents a thorough, up-to-date review of the latest advances and developments in the field of nanomaterials and polymer nanocomposites, with a particular focus on raw materials- Includes comprehensive coverage from historical backgrounds, synthesis techniques, characterization, and a detailed look at new and emerging applications for polymer nanocomposites- Provides a range of different material classes, including metal and metal oxides, biopolymers, graphene and cellulose, among others

Chapter 1

Fundamentals of Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites

Niranjan Karak Advanced Polymer and Nanomaterial Laboratory, Center for Polymer Science and Technology, Department of Chemical Sciences, Tezpur University, Tezpur, India

Abstract

This chapter demonstrates the fundamentals of nanomaterials and polymer nanocomposites. The historical backgrounds, importance, and brief descriptions of the different classes of such materials are pronounced. The raw materials and general preparative methods for nanomaterials and polymer nanocomposites are stated herein. A brief description of the characterization and different properties for both types of materials is given in the chapter. The potential applications of such novel classes of materials are also highlighted. Conclusions and future trends on the topic are also accessible in the chapter.

Keywords

Nanomaterial; Polymer nanocomposite; Preparation; Characterization; Property; Safety; Application

1.1 Introduction

Over the past decade, nanomaterials and polymer nanocomposites have gained tremendous impetus in various fields, as reflected by the exponential increase in the number of publications since their start (Fig. 1.1). Nanomaterials are the materials that have at least one dimension in a nanoscale regime, more specifically within 100 nm (Jordan et al., 2005). The term “nano” is not a buzzword; rather, it is indicating the dimension of the materials (i.e., one nanometer is one billionth of a meter). The size of one hydrogen atom is roughly 0.1 nm, whereas the diameter of human hair is 10⁴ nm. However, it is paramount to keep in mind that this is not simply the change of the dimensions of bulk materials! Unlike the change of the dimensions of bulk materials into microscale materials, which is merely the change of surface area, nanomaterials are unique, as they possess many unusual, useful, and interesting attributes compared to their bulk counterparts. For example, bulk gold is a lustrous noble golden metal and remains “as is” even for a very long period of time under normal atmospheric conditions, but gold nanoparticles are highly reactive (i.e., they can be used as catalysts even at low temperature) and exhibit different colors in their aqueous dispersions depending on the size of the nanoparticles (Xiao and Qi, 2011). Most interestingly the properties of nanoparticles depend on their size, shape, and surface structure. However, because of their ultrafine size, they always have the tendency to aggregate to form bulk materials, especially if they are not properly stabilized during their formation and applications. This occurs because of their high surface energy and reactivity; the process of agglomeration minimizes this energy and reactivity. The higher activity of nanomaterials compared to their bulk is mainly due to a higher surface area per unit volume and a considerably higher number of surface atoms with respect to the interior in the case of the former. The surface-to-volume ratio, known as the aspect ratio of nanomaterials, also dramatically influences their activity, especially their interaction with other materials. This novel class of materials has been used in various applications due to the unique structural features and hence properties. Thus “nanoscience and nanotechnology” deals with the design, fabrication, characterization, evaluation of properties, and ultimate applications of materials with nanoscale dimension. Further, the term “nanoarchitectonics” has recently been used in this field; it refers to a technique that allows for the arrangement of nanoscale structural materials for their special applications. Nanoarchitectonics has emerged as a major branch of nanoscience in many advanced fields. Again, in order to eliminate the common drawbacks of pristine polymers, polymeric nanocomposites are produced by the incorporation of nanomaterials with uniform distribution in the pristine polymer matrices, where at least one phase is in nanoscale dimension.

Fig. 1.1 Number of publications per year on the topics of nanomaterials, nanocomposites, and polymer nanocomposites (as obtained from Scifinder Scholar, on January 6, 2018).

Polymer nanocomposite is thus an active combination of polymer(s) and nanomaterial(s) (other additives may also be present), where at least one phase remains in the nanometer regime (within 100 nm) in the resultant material. As the presence of nanomaterials in the polymer matrix not only dramatically improves most of the desired properties (e.g., mechanical, thermal, gas barrier, flame retardant, biodegradability, etc.) of pristine polymers, but also it may intrinsically generate a new set of properties depending on the nanomaterials used. Therefore over the last two decades a large number of polymer nanocomposites have been explored in various fields. The inclusion of nanomaterials in polymer matrices alters the surface chemistry and tailors the physicochemical intricacies, which are directly related to the performance of the resultant polymeric materials. The geometrical shape, surface chemistry, aspect ratio, and size of nanomaterials are the critical parameters in tuning such interactions and hence the properties of the resultant systems. Polymer nanocomposite are in a unique class of materials, much superior in performance over the conventional filled and composite polymeric systems. The huge interfacial interactions at the surfaces between nanomaterials and polymer matrices and the nanoscopic dimension between the domains fundamentally differentiate polymer nanocomposites from the traditional composites and filled polymer systems. Thus the union of nanoscience and nanotechnology with polymer science and technology has opened up multifaceted application-oriented utilities for polymer nanocomposites. These applications are expanded in almost all fields where polymeric materials can be used, including catalysis, microelectronics, sensing, magnetism, photonics, energy storage, packaging, flame retardancy, surface coating, smart materials, biomaterials, drug delivery system, etc. in addition to the high-performing materials (Ray and Bousmina, 2006). Thus polymer nanocomposites engraved an inimitable position in the niche of advanced materials. However, a genius multidisciplinary collaboration of material science with chemistry, biology, medical science, engineering, and nanotechnology is inevitable for the real exploration of such a novel class of materials. Thus in this book the chapters are included from different expert contributors to obtain their knowledge and understanding in the respective fields of nanomaterials and polymer nanocomposites.

1.2 Historical Background

The history of nanomaterials is very old, as the existence of a few nanostructured materials has been found in nature itself. Volcanic eruptions, early meteorites, seashells, skeletons, etc. are the creation of the nature that generates nanostructured materials. The day fire was discovered, nanoscale smoke particles were formed. However, synthetic nanomaterials were produced much later in laboratories, though the colloidal gold particles had been reported by Michael Faraday in 1857. In the early 1940s, precipitated and fumed silica nanoparticles had begun their industrial manufacture in the United States and Germany as the replacement of ultrafine carbon black for the reinforcement of silicone rubber. Between the 1960s and 1970s, metallic nanopowders for magnetic recording tapes were also developed.

Polymer nanocomposites started to develop in the late 1980s in both commercial research organizations and academia laboratories, though the term “nanocomposite” had first been coined by Theng in 1970. The reinforcing effect of carbon black filler (individual particles are in nm size) to elastomer was again noticed in the first decade of the 20th century, though this vulcanizate was never considered as nanocomposite because the size of filler in the matrix is in μm in dimension (Noordermeer and Dierkes, 2015). The incorporation of layered silicates into polymer matrices has been known for more than half a century. One of the earliest reports described the stable uniform dispersion of metallic cobalt particles about 100 nm in size in polymer by Hess and Parker in 1966. However, the actual journey for polymer nanocomposites started in 1988, when Toyota Company of Japan first used polymer/layered silicate nanocomposite for the production of their novel car models. However, the term “nanocomposite” is universally accepted after Komarneni (1992). The polymeric materials involving at least one of the domains in the size range of 1–100 nm, where the properties are of interest due to the size of the structures, and are typically different from the bulk polymers. In this context, different historical facts with their period of incidents on nanomaterial, nanotechnology, and polymer nanocomposite are tabulated in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1

History of nanomaterials, nanotechnology, and polymer nanocomposites

Fact or phenomenon	Associated name	Year
Natural fire and smoke (volcano, forest fire, etc.)	Nature	Millions of years ago
Controlled fire and smoke	Stone Age people	~ 2 million years ago
Preparation of colloidal gold particles	M. Faraday	1857
Magnetic powder	W.E. Hoke	1920
Precipitated and fumed fine silica particles	US and German companies	1940
Nano thinking (there's plenty of room at the bottom)	R. Feynman	1959
Dispersion of metallic cobalt particles in polymer	P.H. Hess and P.H.J. Parker	1966
Term “nanocomposite” first coined	B.K.G. Theng	1970
Nanotechnology word (superthin material processing)	N. Taniguchi	1974
Nylon-6/layered silicate “nanocomposite”	Toyota, Japan	1988
Term “nanocomposite” used in scientific literature	S. Komarneni	1992

1.3 Significance

In the current scenario of the materials’ development, the significance of nanomaterials and polymer nanocomposites are enormous. The important significance of nanomaterials over bulk materials lies on their extremely high surface area, which results about 10⁹ times higher in the numb...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Contributors
• Preface
• About the Editor
• Declaration
• List of Abbreviations and Symbols
• Acknowledgment
• Chapter 1: Fundamentals of Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites
• Chapter 2: Silver Nanomaterials and Their Polymer Nanocomposites
• Chapter 3: Metal-Based Nanomaterials and Their Polymer Nanocomposites
• Chapter 4: Metal Oxide Based Nanomaterials and Their Polymer Nanocomposites
• Chapter 5: Carbon Nanotubes and Their Polymer Nanocomposites
• Chapter 6: Graphene-Based Nanomaterials and Their Polymer Nanocomposites
• Chapter 7: Carbon Dots and Their Polymeric Nanocomposites
• Chapter 8: Silicon-Based Nanomaterials and Their Polymer Nanocomposites
• Chapter 9: Emerging Cellulose-Based Nanomaterials and Nanocomposites
• Chapter 10: Other Miscellaneous Materials and Their Nanocomposites
• Index