Publication detail

Thermodynamic Parameters Controlling Nanoparticle Spatial Packing in Polymer Solutions

ZÁRYBNICKÁ, K. ONDREÁŠ, F. LEPCIO, P. KALINA, M. ZBONČÁK, M. JANČÁŘ, J.

Original Title

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

Despite their unprecedented potential, polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) have not reached their forecasted industrial utilization, yet. Insufficient control of nanoparticle (NP) spatial organization in the polymer matrix was recognized as the bottleneck of further PNC applications. Therefore, thermodynamic parameters enabling a general estimate of the nanocomposite (NC) structure in any polymer solution were investigated in this study. The effect of polymer-particle-solvent interactions on the final NP dispersion in PNCs was examined in depth. Our approach was based on assessing the surface charge (ζ-potential) of NPs and specifying the difference in solubility parameters between the polymer, nanoparticles, and the solvent used during the preparation. To generalize our findings, four different polymer matrixes, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc), polycarbonate (PC), and polystyrene (PS), and three types of NPs, spherical colloidal and fumed nanosilica and functional ZnO2 doped with Al2O3 NPs blended in various solvents, were investigated. The overall interaction balance present in the PNC solution was estimated using solubility parameters and ζ-potential (represented by polarity index), and the influence on final NP dispersion after NC solidification was described. This approach offers a valuable tool that only requires several readily accessible physicochemical parameters (solubility parameters and ζ-potential) as an input for the structural prediction of the final PNCs. Hydrogen bonds play an important role in the formation of the PNC structure due to the absorption of polymer chains onto the NP surface. Generalized features described on a wide range of composition and preparation conditions will help to advance the fundamental understanding of NP self-assembly in polymer liquids. Moreover, the presented relation between the solvent-polymer-particle interaction strength, NP spatial organization, chain stiffness, and relaxation properties, which was evaluated by comparing PNCs with various matrixes, will contribute new evidence to the general description of the PNC's structure-property function. As an addition, we present anisotropic microstructures composed by the self-assembly process of spherical NPs prepared in dioxane.

Keywords

Alumina; Aluminum oxide; Esters; Hydrogen bonds; Nanocomposite; sNanoparticles; Polyvinyl acetate; Self assembly; Sols; Solubility; Solvents; Zeta potential; Anisotropic microstructures; Industrial utilization; Physicochemical parameters; Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA); Poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc); Preparation conditions; Self assembly process; Thermodynamic parameter; Zinc compounds

Authors

ZÁRYBNICKÁ, K.; ONDREÁŠ, F.; LEPCIO, P.; KALINA, M.; ZBONČÁK, M.; JANČÁŘ, J.

Released

23. 9. 2020

Publisher

American Chemical Society

ISBN

0024-9297

Periodical

MACROMOLECULES

Year of study

Number

State

United States of America

Pages from

8704

Pages to

8713

Pages count

URL

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.macromol.0c00698

BibTex

@article{BUT165762,
  author="Klára {Zárybnická} and František {Ondreáš} and Petr {Lepcio} and Michal {Kalina} and Marek {Zbončák} and Josef {Jančář}",
  title="Thermodynamic Parameters Controlling Nanoparticle Spatial Packing in Polymer Solutions",
  journal="MACROMOLECULES",
  year="2020",
  volume="53",
  number="19",
  pages="8704--8713",
  doi="10.1021/acs.macromol.0c00698",
  issn="0024-9297",
  url="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.macromol.0c00698"
}