Microstructure development in multiphasic polymeric materials containing functional nanoparticles

For many applications, polymers have substantial advantages as compared to other materials, e.g. they are light-weight, flexible, easy to process and corrosion-resistant. Additional functionality can be introduced by the addition of conductive or magnetic particles. Thereby, materials can be developed for energy harvesting, electric discharge protection, electromagnetic shielding or soft robotics. However, the resulting properties are strongly dependent on the dispersion and distribution of the nanoparticles whereby multiphasic structures are of particular importance since the microstructure can act as a template to tailor the particle distribution by means of selective localization. In the present research, various techniques will be developed to enable systematic in-situ and time-resolved studies of the morphology development of multiphasic blends, emulsions and bijels containing functional nanoparticles.

Keywords:polymer blend, nanocomposite, emulsion, bijel, microstructure, droplet dynamics, flow

Disciplines:Soft condensed matter, (Multiphase) flow, Rheology, Particle reinforced materials, Polymer processing, Polymers and plastics, Functional materials, Chemical product design and formulation not elsewhere classified