SUPERCRITICAL CARBON DIOXIDE PROCESSING OF NANO CLAYS ANDPOLYMER/CLAY NANOCOMPOSITESbyMIHAI MANITIUAugust 2010Advisor: Rangaramanujam KannanCo-Advisor: Esin GulariMajor: Chemical EngineeringDegree: Doctor of Philosophy Effective dispersion of the fillers in a polymer matrix and improvement of polymer clayinteractions are two key challenges in the field of...

The pseudoparticles include the stacks of intercalated layers in the case of incomplete clay exfoliation in clay/polymer nanocomposites. In this article, the effects of pseudoparticle properties on the shear, bulk, and Young's moduli of nanocomposites are studied using the Norris model. The properties of pseudoparticles are determined in some samples by the experimental data of Young's modulus ...

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on PEO-based polymer nanocomposites and nanocomposite polymer electrolytes. MD simulations revealed that the PEO density is significantly perturbed by TiO2 surfaces, PEO and ion dynamics in the vicinity of nanoparticles was found to be intimately related to the structure of the solid nanoparticle surfaces, polymer-surface interactions and the n...

Extrudate swell is often observed to be weakened in nanocomposites compared to the pure polymer matrix. A theory quantifying this would be significant either for optimum processing or for understanding their viscoelasticity. A unified extrudate swell correlation with material properties and capillary parameters was suggested for polymer melt and their nanocomposites when considering the reservo...

FeCo nanoparticles synthesized on sepiolite microparticles were used for the preparation of nanocomposites by melt compounding with polystyrene. Both, the sepiolite fibers and the nanoparticles were free of agglomeration, which allowed preparing nanocomposites with a homogeneous dispersion of the second phases, avoiding the usual agglomeration of the nanoparticles and minimizing light scatterin...

Polymer nanocomposites with engineered electrical properties can be made by tuning the fabrication method, processing conditions and filler’s geometric and physical properties. This work focuses on investigating the effect of filler’s geometry (aspect ratio and shape), intrinsic electrical conductivity, alignment and dispersion within the polymer, and polymer crystallinity, on the percolation t...

In this work, the impacts of varying surface modification, matrix parameters, and fabrication conditions on the performance of optically printed (0-3) piezoelectric polymer nanocomposites are examined. For example, we find that a 75% reduction in nanoparticle edge-length boosted the piezoelectric coefficient (d33) by over 100%. By optimizing the composition and fabrication conditions, 10% by ma...

C is the second most important natural polymer in the nature after cellulose. The main sources of the chitin compounds are shrimp and crabs.Our objective is to discuss the state of the art on extraction of nano chitin whiskers and Chitin based nanocomposites using different type of polymer matrixes. This review manly focuses on the preparation, characterization, properties, morphologies and che...

Nanoparticles with sizes ranging between objects and microparticles (e.g. atom) have attracted much attention. These particles with various specialized functions not only deepen our understanding of nature, but also serve as the basis for the development of new advanced technology. The successful application of nanoparticles depends upon both the synthesis and the surface modification of these ...

a new three-dimensional unit cell model has been developed for modeling three constituent phases including inclusion, interphase and matrix. the total elastic modulus of nano-composite is evaluated.  numerical results are in good agreement with the previous proposed theoretical modeling. higher matrix and inclusion elastic modulus both can dramatically influence the total elastic modulus.