ABSTRACT
By using the sol-gel method, nanofillers (nanoparticles) can be synthesized and dispersed in polymers, and polymer nanocomposites can be prepared. This chapter discusses the mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of polymer nanocomposites. It introduces a method for preparing polymer nanocomposites made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with both good mechanical properties and high heat-resistivity. Polymers are broadly classified into thermoplastic resins, whichmelt at high temperatures, and thermosetting resins, which react by hardening without melting at high temperatures. The chapter describes methods of mixing a quasi-spherical nanofiller into a polymer as one way of creating a polymer nanocomposite. Many cases have been reported that the dispersion of a nanofiller (nanoparticles) in a resin improves the characteristics of the resin, but the small particle size tends to induce secondary agglomeration, which may rather hamper dispersion of the particles in a resin, resulting contrarily in poorer resin characteristics. The chapter discusses the surface modification of nanoparticles and its effects.
