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Solvent-Driven Infiltration of Polymer (SIP) into Nanoparticle Packings
Neha Manohar1, Kathleen J Stebe1, Daeyeon Lee1
1Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States.
ACS Macro Letters
|June 2, 2022
Summary
We developed a simple, room-temperature method to create polymer-nanoparticle films with high nanoparticle content. This solvent-driven infiltration process enables scalable manufacturing of advanced composite materials.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Manufacturing polymer-nanoparticle (NP) composites with high filler fractions is challenging due to dispersion and mixing difficulties.
- Polymer-infiltrated nanoparticle films (PINFs) offer a route to high filler fractions (>50 vol %) but require advanced fabrication methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel, one-step, room-temperature method for fabricating porous PINFs.
- To demonstrate a scalable approach for creating high-performance nanocomposite films.
Main Methods:
- Solvent-driven infiltration of polymer (SIP) into nanoparticle (NP) packings using a bilayer film (NP layer atop polymer film).
- Utilizing solvent vapor or liquid solvent annealing to induce capillary condensation and polymer plasticization for infiltration.
- Investigating the influence of solvent quality, annealing duration, and polymer molecular weight on infiltration extent.
Main Results:
- Successful fabrication of porous PINFs with extremely high filler fractions (>50 vol %) via a facile SIP process.
- Demonstrated control over polymer infiltration by adjusting solvent properties and annealing conditions.
- Showcased SIP's versatility by using both good and slightly poor solvents, including liquid solvent annealing.
Conclusions:
- The SIP method provides a scalable, energy-efficient route for manufacturing porous PINFs with high NP loading.
- This technique circumvents traditional challenges in nanoparticle dispersion for nanocomposite fabrication.
- Porous PINFs produced by SIP are suitable for applications in coatings and energy storage devices.
