291 results about "Polymer nanocomposite" patented technology

The present invention relates to a process and a product of forming polymer (especially PVC) nanocomposites with a variety of nanofillers. The present invention provides a method for forming a polymer nanocomposite, comprising powder mixing a composition comprising polymer resin, a nanofiller, and a coupling agent for a residence time of about 4 to about 8 minutes to form a dry blend and extruding the dry blend in an extrusion process. Additionally, the present invention relates to a polymer nanocomposite formed by a process, comprising powder mixing a polymer resin, a nanofiller, and a coupling agent for a residence time of about 4 to about 8 minutes to form a dry blend and extruding the dry blend in an extrusion process to achieve homogeneous dispersion of nanofillers in the polymer matrix.

The present invention provides a method of exfoliating a layered material (e.g., graphite and graphite oxide) to produce nano-scaled platelets having a thickness smaller than 100 nm, typically smaller than 10 nm. The method comprises (a) dispersing particles of graphite, graphite oxide, or a non-graphite laminar compound in a liquid medium containing therein a surfactant or dispersing agent to obtain a stable suspension or slurry; and (b) exposing the suspension or slurry to ultrasonic waves at an energy level for a sufficient length of time to produce separated nano-scaled platelets. The nano-scaled platelets are candidate reinforcement fillers for polymer nanocomposites. Nano-scaled graphene platelets are much lower-cost alternatives to carbon nano-tubes or carbon nano-fibers.

Nanocomposite photovoltaic devices are provided that generally include semiconductor nanocrystals as at least a portion of a photoactive layer. Photovoltaic devices and other layered devices that comprise core-shell nanostructures and/or two populations of nanostructures, where the nanostructures are not necessarily part of a nanocomposite, are also provided, as are devices including a recombination material and/or multiple electrodes. Varied architectures for such devices are also provided, including flexible and rigid architectures, planar and non-planar architectures, and the like, as are systems incorporating such devices, and methods and systems for fabricating such devices. Compositions comprising two populations of nanostructures of different materials or nanostructures and a small molecule are also described, as are doped polymer nanocomposites. Compositions useful for making nanocomposites are also described.

Polymer nanocomposite implants with nanofillers and additives are described. The nanofillers described can be any composition with the preferred composition being those composing barium, bismuth, cerium, dysprosium, europium, gadolinium, hafnium, indium, lanthanum, neodymium, niobium, praseodymium, strontium, tantalum, tin, tungsten, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc, and zirconium. The additives can be of any composition with the preferred form being inorganic nanopowders comprising aluminum, calcium, gallium, iron, lithium, magnesium, silicon, sodium, strontium, titanium. Such nanocomposites are particularly useful as materials for biological use in applications such as drug delivery, biomed devices, bone or dental implants.

A method of producing nano-scaled graphene platelets with an average thickness smaller than 30 nm from a layered graphite material. The method comprises (a) forming a carboxylic acid-intercalated graphite compound by an electrochemical reaction which uses a carboxylic acid as both an electrolyte and an intercalate source, the layered graphite material as an anode material, and a metal or graphite as a cathode material, and wherein a current is imposed upon the cathode and the anode at a current density for a duration of time sufficient for effecting the electrochemical reaction; (b) exposing the intercalated graphite compound to a thermal shock to produce exfoliated graphite; and (c) subjecting the exfoliated graphite to a mechanical shearing treatment to produce the nano-scaled graphene platelets. Preferred carboxylic acids are formic acid and acetic acid. The exfoliation step in the instant invention does not involve the evolution of undesirable species, such as NO_x and SO_x, which are common by-products of exfoliating conventional sulfuric or nitric acid-intercalated graphite compounds. The nano-scaled platelets are candidate reinforcement fillers for polymer nanocomposites. Nano-scaled graphene platelets are much lower-cost alternatives to carbon nano-tubes or carbon nano-fibers.

Nanocomposites may be produced by mixing dispersions of polymers and dispersions of clay minerals. After mixing, the dispersions may be destabilized with the addition of appropriate compounds. The flocculated solid material exhibits characteristics of a nanocomposite, such as exfoliation of the clay mineral platelets as indicated by x-ray diffraction analysis.

The present invention relates to transparent nanocomposites comprising of metal oxide nanoparticles dispersed in polymer matrix. The nanoparticles have capping agents attached onto the nanoparticle surfaces and a precursor solution of capped nanoparticles and polymer is prepared and dried to obtain the nanocomposites. The nanocomposites exhibit UV absorption, low haze, and improved thermal stability. The present invention also relates to the methods associated with the preparation of capped nanoparticles, precursor solution and nanocomposites.

The present invention is directed, in part, to improved nanocomposite compositions and processes for preparing same. Specifically, in one embodiment, there is provided a process for preparing an aqueous nanocomposite dispersion, wherein the process comprises: polymerizing via suspension polymerization a suspension comprising at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer and a hydrophobically modified clay to form the nanocomposite dispersion after polymerization, wherein the hydrophobically modified clay is dispersed in the monomer. Other embodiments include processes for preparing aqueous nanocomposite particles, colloids, and dispersions using hydrophobically modified clays in aqueous systems and compositions comprising same.

The invention provides a preparation method for graphene oxide with high barrier property and a polymer nanocomposite film. The preparation method comprises the following steps: graphene oxide is added in solvent for stirring to obtain a colloidal suspension of graphene oxide during the ultrasonic processing at the temperature of 20 to 45 DEG C; a polymer is added in the colloidal suspension of graphene oxide for stirring during the ultrasonic processing at the temperature of 20 to 120 DEG C, until the polymer is completely dissolved to obtain a solution of graphene oxide/polymer; and after air bubbles in the solution of graphene oxide/polymer are removed, the graphene oxide/polymer nanocomposite film is obtained by a casting method or blow molding method. The carbon dioxide transmission coefficient of the prepared nanocomposite film containing graphene oxide is reduced by more than 150 times, and the prepared nanocomposite film containing graphene oxide can be used for packaging food and drugs with higher requirements of barrier property.

The present invention provides of a three-dimensional bicontinuous heterostructure, a method of producing same, and the application of this structure towards the realization of photodetecting and photovoltaic devices working in the visible and the near-infrared. The three-dimensional bicontinuous heterostructure includes two interpenetrating layers which are spatially continuous, they are include only protrusions or peninsulas, and no islands. The method of producing the three-dimensional biontinuous heterostructure relies on forming an essentially planar continuous bottom layer of a first material; forming a layer of this first material on top of the bottom layer which is textured to produce protrusions for subsequent interpenetration with a second material, coating this second material onto this structure; and forming a final coating with the second material that ensures that only the second material is contacted by subsequent layer. One of the materials includes visible and/or infrared-absorbing semiconducting quantum dot nanoparticles, and one of materials is a hole conductor and the other is an electron conductor.

Polymer nanocomposites comprising an untreated phyllosilicate, a delaminating agent, a swelling agent, and a polyorganosiloxane-polycarbonate copolymer are disclosed. The polymer nanocomposites are valuable for producing articles having a combination of improved performance characteristics, such as tensile modulus, low temperature ductility, and melt volume rate.

A process for stabilizing particles includes disposing reactive nanoparticles in a borehole; contacting the reactive nanoparticles with a resin; introducing a curing agent; and curing the resin and reactive nanoparticles with the curing agent to form a nanocomposite, wherein, during curing, the nanocomposite is bonded to the particles to stabilize the particles. A process for consolidating particles includes coating the particles with a resin; introducing reactive nanoparticles; curing the resin and reactive nanoparticles with a curing agent to form a nanocomposite which is bonded to the particles; and controlling a rate of the curing by an amount of the curing agent which is present with the resin, wherein the nanocomposite bonded to the particles is thermally stable up to at least 600° F. (315° C.). A system comprises a resin; reactive nanoparticles; a curing agent to form a nanocomposite; and particles disposed in a downhole location to which the nanocomposite binds.

A hydrogen ionic conductive inorganic material having a layered structure, wherein a moiety containing a functional group with hydrogen ionic conductivity is introduced between layers of an inorganic material having a nano-sized interlayer distance. A polymer nanocomposite membrane including a reaction product of the hydrogen ionic conductive inorganic material and a conductive polymer, and a fuel cell using the same, are also provided. In the polymer nanocomposite membrane, a conductive polymer may be intercalated to a hydrogen ionic conductive inorganic material having a layered structure or products exfoliated from an inorganic material having a layered structure are dispersed in a conductive polymer.

The present invention relates to methods for the preparation of clay/polymer nanocomposites. The methods include combining an organophilic clay and a polymer to form a nanocomposite, wherein the organophilic clay and the polymer each have a peak recrystallization temperature, and wherein the organophilic clay peak recrystallization temperature sufficiently matches the polymer peak recrystallization temperature such that the nanocomposite formed has less permeability to a gas than the polymer. Such nanocomposites exhibit 2, 5, 10, or even 100 fold or greater reductions in permeability to, e.g., oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both compared to the polymer. The invention also provides a method of preparing a nanocomposite that includes combining an amorphous organophilic clay and an amorphous polymer, each having a glass transition temperature, wherein the organophilic clay glass transition temperature sufficiently matches the polymer glass transition temperature such that the nanocomposite formed has less permeability to a gas than the polymer.

A method and apparatus for forming three dimensional flame retardant objects by laser sintering that includes homogeneously combining, by an extrusion process, certain polymer materials with nanoparticles and using the resultant powder in a laser sintering device to produce freeform parts.

A method and system of forming a polymer nanocomposite. A layered clay and polymer are selected wherein |S_p−S_scf|>|S_c−S_scf| and |S_c−S_scf|≦2.0 (cal/cm³)^0.5 are satisfied. S_p, S_c, and S_scf is a solubility parameter of the polymer, clay, and a supercritical fluid (SCF), respectively. The polymer and clay are mixed to form a polymer-clay mixture. The polymer-clay mixture is melted to form a polymer-clay melt. The polymer-clay melt is initially contacted with the SCF while the SCF is subject to an initial pressure exceeding the critical pressure of the SCF and to a temperature exceeding the critical temperature of the SCF. The polymer-clay melt is further contacted with the SCF while the SCF is at a lower pressure below the critical pressure of the SCF to exfoliate the clay to form the nanocomposite having the exfoliated clay being substantially dispersed throughout the polymer of the polymer-clay.

Disclosed are systems and methods for the formation of a polymer nanocomposite material using a high-concentration masterbatch as a source of nanocomposite filler.

A method and system for forming a polymer nanocomposite. A peroxide-degradable polymer, a clay, and a peroxide are mixed to form a polymer-clay-peroxide mixture. The polymer-clay-peroxide mixture is then heated forming a polymer-clay-peroxide melt containing peroxide radicals. The result is a degradation of the peroxide-degradable polymer within the melt to form smaller molecular weight polymer chains using the peroxide radicals and a diffusion of said polymer chains into the clay within the melt so as to exfoliate the clay to form the polymer nanocomposite having exfoliated clay being randomly dispersed throughout the polymer nanocomposite.

The present invention relates to transparent nanocomposites comprising of metal oxide nanoparticles dispersed in polymer matrix. The nanoparticles have capping agents attached onto the nanoparticle surfaces and a precursor solution of capped nanoparticles and polymer is prepared and dried to obtain the nanocomposites. The nanocomposites exhibit UV absorption, low haze, and improved thermal stability. The present invention also relates to the methods associated with the preparation of capped nanoparticles, precursor solution and nanocomposites.