Brush-Coated Nanoparticle Polymer Thin Films: Structure-Mechanical-Optical Properties.

摘要

Our work was devoted to understanding the structure and properties of a class of thin film polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). PNCs are composed of polymer hosts into which nanoparticles (metallic nanoparticles, quantum dots, nanorods, C60, nanotubes) are incorporated. PNCs exhibit a diverse range of functional properties (optical, electronic, mechanical, biomedical, structural), determined in part by the chemical composition of the polymer host and the type of nanoparticle. The properties PNCs rely not only on specific functional, size-dependent, behavior of the nanoparticles, but also on the dispersion, and organizational order in some cases, inter-nanoparticle separation distances, and on relative interactions between the nanoparticles and the host. Therefore the scientific challenges associated with understanding the interrelations between the structure and function/properties of PNCs are far more complex than may be understood based only on the knowledge of the compositions of the constituents. The challenges of understanding the structure-function behavior of PNCs are further compounded by the fact that control of the dispersion of the nanoparticles within the polymer hosts is difficult; one must learn how to disperse inorganic particles within an organic host. The goal of this proposal was to develop an understanding of the connection between the structure and the thermal (glass transition), mechanical and optical properties of a specific class of PNCs. Specifically PNCs composed of polymer chain grafted gold nanoparticles within polymer hosts. A major objective was to understand how to develop basic principles that enable the fabrication of functional materials possessing optimized morphologies and combinations of materials properties. We developed: (1) fundamental principles that enabled the creation of thin film PNCs possessing more complex morphologies of homopolymers and block copolymer micellar systems [1-6]; (2) a new understanding of physical phenomena associated with the structure of PNC systems and the glass transition and dynamics [7-11], including surface dynamics [12, 13]; designed PNCs to understand the connection between structure and specific optical responses of the material [14, 15]; electrorheological phenomena [16-18]; coarsening/aggregation phenomena [19, 20]; directed assembly [21] and elastic mechanical properties of thin supported films [22]. We established procedures to design and control the spatial distribution of gold nanoparticles (Au-NP), onto which polystyrene (PS) chains were end-grafted, within thin film PS hosts.[1-3] We explained how enthalpic and entropic interactions between the grafted layers and the polymer host chains, the nanoparticle (NP) sizes and shapes determine the spatial distribution of NPs within the host (i.e.: the morphology). In brief, the chemistries of the grafted chains and the polymer hosts, the degrees of polymerization of grafted and host chains (N and P, respectively), and the surface grafting densities ? influence the thermodynamic interactions. Thin films are unique: the external interfaces (substrate and free surface) profoundly influence the spatial distribution of NPs within the PNC. For example, thin films are thermodynamically less stable than their bulk analogs due to the preferential attraction between the brush-coated nanoparticles and the external interfaces (i.e.: the free surface/polymer interface and the polymer/substrate interface).