A review on new mesostructured composite materials: Part II. Characterization and properties of polymer–mesoporous silica nanocomposite

Abstract

Hybrid inorganic–organic materials are promising systems for a variety of applications due to their extraordinary properties with intricate composite architectures composed of nanoscale inorganic moieties with organic polymers synergistically intertwined to provide both useful functionality and mechanical integrity. These materials have a high potential for future applications and therefore attract considerable interest in polymer science research during the last years. Among the various explored inorganic nanostructures, the mesoporous silica has been considered as a fascinating material to construct novel ordered and well-dispersed nanocomposites due to their high surface areas, periodic and size-controllable pore channels. This review is written with the intention to give an overview of the characterization and material properties of polymer–mesoporous silica nanocomposites. Among polymer–mesoporous silica composites, various categories including polyaniline, polypyrrole, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, epoxy, rubber, and acrylate polymer were discussed in detail.

Fabrication and evaluation of silica aerogel-epoxy nanocomposites: Fracture and toughening mechanisms

“…Recently, the introduction of mesoporous silica for reinforcement in polymer nanocomposites has received a great deal of interest due to the potential to solve the problems of aggregation and poor interfacial interaction [17]. Mesoporous silica has high internal surface area and uniform nanoscale pore sizes which makes them a good candidate for polymer reinforcing and preparation of new polymer nanocomposite materials [18,19]. They present stable 3D framework structures which provide confinement effects of polymer intrusion into nanopores [20].…”

Interpenetrating organic–inorganic network: A short review on aerogel as a nanoporous filler in epoxy nanocomposite

“…Whereas platelets (clays and graphene), nanotubes (carbon‐based and others), and nanorods were the first fillers explored in the field of nanocomposites, interest has switched recently to mesoporous aerogel because the belief is that these mesoporous particles can achieve percolation network structure at even lower loadings . Thus, if the reinforcing phase of a binary composite is percolating, then the macroscale properties are optimized .…”

Significance of thermodynamics and rheological characteristics of dope solutions on the morphological evolution of polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes

“…[ 15,16 ] While process thermodynamics is governed by factors, such as dope composition and solvent type, the kinetics is related to the substitution rate of solvent and non‐solvent. [ 17,18 ]…”

“…[ 28 ] The result showed that the viscosity and storage modulus (G ′ ) of prepared solutions were higher than PES dope solutions using N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone(NMP), dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and dimethylacetamide (DMAc). Mousavi et al [ 17,18 ] investigated the effect of solvent power on the viscoelastic behavior of polysulfone (PSF) solutions. They found that the addition of 2P and water to PSF/NMP solution increased the viscoelasticity of dope solutions.…”

“…[15,16] While process thermodynamics is governed by factors, such as dope composition and solvent type, the kinetics is related to the substitution rate of solvent and non-solvent. [17,18] Due to the importance of morphology in the performance of UF membranes, the rheological characteristics of dope solutions, including critical concentration, viscosity, shear rate, and viscoelastic behavior should be taken into consideration. [19,20] Most polymer solutions exhibit non-Newtonian flow behavior.…”