Development of a Self-Assembly Method for Manufacturing Nanocomposites with High Loadings of Nanocomposites

摘要

A new method of manufacturing at the molecular level has recently been utilized to build nanocomposites. The method, called Layer by Layer assembly (LbL) or Electrostatic Self-Assembly (ESA), has been successful in producing thin films with many different properties. This study has focused on using the nearly-molecular control offered by LbL to construct ordered nanoclay/polymer nanocomposites with high loadings of nanoclay without problems inherent using traditional mixing. LbL has traditionally been limited to very thin films and coatings due to long cycle times. To overcome this shortcoming, three different LbL methods were used and modified to find a method that was capable of producing micrometer thick nanocomposites quickly. Spin assisted LbL (SALbL) was found to be the most effective. Using SALbL, nanocomposites with micrometer thickness were produced and examined.