ABSTRACT
SHARON C. GLOTZER Departments of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A.
Modification of polymers with an inorganic material to produce a polymer composite is commonplace in the world of modern plastics. Polymer nanocomposites, in which the secondary material has dimensions on nanometer scales, offer exciting opportunities not possible with conventional composites [1-3]. Vast improvements in properties ranging from mechanical response [4] to fire resistance [5,6] can be achieved with small amounts of the nanostructured inorganic additives. As a result, polymer nanocomposites are much lighter than conventional polymer composites while displaying large increases in tensile modulus, strength, toughness and other bulk properties. In addition to their improved properties, polymer nanocomposites are easily molded or extruded, simplifyingmanufacturing processes. Despite significant progress in materials development, a comprehensive understanding of polymer nanocomposites yielding predictive structure-property relationships is not yet in hand. Without such understanding, progress in nanocomposite development has been largely empirical.
