Polyacrylonitrile clay nanocomposites

Hwang, I Liu, H., 2002. Influence of organophilic clay on the morphology, plasticizer-maintaining ability, dimensional stability, and electrochemical properties of gel polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanocomposite electrolytes. Macromolecules 35,7314-7319. 

Pang et al. (2010) prepared Mo C/CNTs nanocomposites, an efficient electrocatalyst, via microwave-assisted method using Mo(CO)g as single source precursor. R electrocatalysts supported on the Mo C/CNTs composites were also prepared by using modified ethylene glycol method where as the microwave-assisted preparation of biodegradable water absorbent polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/montmorillonite (MMT) clay nanocomposite was reported by Sahoo et al. (2011). This nanocomposite was... 

Up to now, poly(methyl methacrylate) and methyl methacrylate copolymers e.g. with styrene, butyl acrylate and dodecyl methacrylate) have been the most widely used acrylic polymers for nanocomposite preparation by emulsion and suspension polymerization. Less research has been based on other acrylic polymers, such as polyacrylonitrile, poly(butyl acrylate), " poly(butyl methacrylate), poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate), poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate), polyacrylamide, poly(lauryl acrylate)," poly(butyl acrylate-co-styrene)," " poly(acrylonitrile-co-styrene), poly(acrylonitrile-co-meth-acrylate)," poly(ethyl acrylate-co-2-ethylhexyl acrylate)" and poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate-co-acrylic acid)," and sometimes small amounts of hydophilic acrylic monomers, such as hydroxyethyl methacrylate, methacrylic acid and acrylic acid, have been used as comonomers. " Therefore, it may be stated that, so far, the preparation of acrylic-clay nanocomposites has been based mainly on high glass transition temperature polymers, although nanocomposite materials with lower glass transition temperatures with improved or novel properties, which exhibit a balance of previous antagonistic properties, can also be achieved and are very desirable. Regarding nanocomposites of low glass transition temperature polymers, such as poly(butyl acrylate), poly(ethyl acrylate) and poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate), which have been utilized as the main components of acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives, little information is available. 

So far, most polymer nanocomposites contain only one type of nanofiller. Recent studies revealed that combination of clay and Si02 has a more enhanced effect on the polymer matrix. In this chapter, we discuss the structure and properties of clay- and silica-based polymer nanocomposites prepared by in situ emulsion polymerization, especially polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-clay-silica ternary nanocomposites. The chapter consists of three parts (1) synthesis and structure of polymer-clay-silica nanocomposites (2) thermal properties of polymer-clay-silica nanocomposites and (3) mechanical properties of polymer-clay-silica nanocomposites. 

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