Polymer nanocomposites are the basis of multi-functional materials with excellent thermal and mechanical properties. One mechanism of enhanced properties is the creation of interphase, a region of altered polymer matrix near the nanoparticle surface. NU-MRSEC researchers used an elegant method to investigate the role that crosslink density of the polymer network plays in creation of the interphase. This work impacts fundamental polymer science, as well as industrial applications.
The figure below demonstrates the three mechanisms by which nanoparticles can change the dynamics of the polymer matrix in crosslinked nanocomposites.
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