TABLE OF CONTENTS There are two main challenges to developing polymer nanostructured materials after the desired nanoparticle has been selected for the polymer of interest. First, the choice of nanoparticles requires an interfacial interaction and/or compatibility with the polymer matrix. Second, the proper processing technique should be selected to uniformly disperse and distribute the nanoparticles or nanoparticle aggregates within the polymer matrix. In this chapter the selection process of several resin matrices and nanoparticles based on the author s research and the efforts of other researchers will be described. In Chap. 2, the different types of nanoparticles were briefly described. In this chapter, different types of polymers and polymer nanocomposites will be discussed.
In most cases, polymer nanostuctured materials exhibit multifunctionality. Several of the functions of these materials are listed below:
Thermal: increased thermal resistance, higher glass transition temperature ( T g) or heat deflection temperature (HDT), reduced coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE)
Mechanical: increased modulus, strength, toughness, elongation (in some cases)
Chemical: improved solvent resistance, improved moisture resistance
Electrical: improved thermal conductivity, lower resistivity (depends on the nanoparticles)
Barrier: reduced oxygen, moisture transmission
Optical: clear, transparency provided in selective systems
Others: abrasion resistance, reduced shrinkage
In general, polymers can be classified into the three basic families of resins namely thermoplastics, thermosets, and elastomers. Table 3.1 lists several characteristics of the thermosetting and thermoplastic resin systems.
