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Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

Unlike ionic or small covalent molecules, polymers do not form crystalline solids due to the diffusion limitations of their long-chain structures. However, polymers contain microscopic crystalline domains separated by amorphous domains.
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...

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Nanosponge Tunability in Size and Crosslinking Density

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Published on: August 4, 2017

Tunable Multiscale Nanoparticle Ordering by Polymer Crystallization.

Dan Zhao¹, Vianney Gimenez-Pinto¹, Andrew M Jimenez¹

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States.

ACS Central Science

|August 5, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Controlled nanoparticle assembly within semicrystalline polymers significantly enhances mechanical modulus. This strategy creates high-modulus materials without compromising polymer toughness or density.

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Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Polymer Science
Nanotechnology

Background:

Semicrystalline polymers, widely used commercially, often exhibit low mechanical modulus, limiting their application in structural components.
This limitation is particularly pronounced in polymers with a glass transition temperature below room temperature.
Developing strategies to enhance the mechanical properties of semicrystalline polymers is crucial for expanding their utility.

Purpose of the Study:

To improve the mechanical modulus of semicrystalline polymers.
To achieve this by controlled, multiscale assembly of nanoparticles (NPs) using polymer crystallization kinetics.
To investigate the impact of NP ordering on material properties.

Main Methods:

Controlled assembly of nanoparticles within a semicrystalline polymer matrix.
Leveraging the kinetics of polymer crystallization to template NP organization.
Manipulating NP hierarchical structure (lamellar, interlamellar, interfibrillar) by controlling crystallization speed.

Main Results:

A multiscale NP structure templated by polymer morphology was achieved, including NPs within crystals, ordered layers in the interlamellar zones, and fractal NP assemblies at the interfibrillar scale.
The fraction of NPs across this hierarchy was tunable via crystallization speed.
Multiscale NP ordering resulted in a Young's modulus enhancement nearly an order of magnitude greater than randomly dispersed NPs.

Conclusions:

Controlled, multiscale nanoparticle assembly offers a significant enhancement in polymer modulus.
This approach allows for the creation of high-modulus materials that retain desirable polymer properties like toughness and low density.
The strategy effectively addresses the mechanical limitations of semicrystalline polymers for structural applications.