POSS and Nanocomposites

When the size of solid inorganic materials is reduced to approach the nanometer range, there exists an interesting dualism between molecules and particles. In fact, it no longer makes sense to distinguish between molecules and particles. For example, the sol-gel reaction of functionalized trisalkoxysilanes can be tuned to produce polysilsesquioxanes which exhibit nanometer dimensions and can be dispersed and assembled within the matrix of epoxy and acryhc resins [30]. 

According to Kinloch, the addition of 1-8 wt.% of nanosilica particles with an average diameter of around 20 nm to a typical rubber-toughened adhesive, based 

The recent progress in polymer synthesis and nanotechnology is stimulating the development of adhesives with improved performance. A few percent of nanometer-scale additives can be added to formulations in order to achieve significant changes in property profiles. Molecular nanoparticles and nanometer-scale, highly branched polymers can be dispersed in order to facilitate energy dissipation at the crack tip by means of multiple plastic deformation. The self assembly of nanoparticles forms skeleton-like superstructures which account for 

The author gratefully acknowledges financial support by the Deutsche For-schungsgemeinschaft (DFG). The TEM image of SEBS/iPP was prepared by Ralf Thomann and Professor Joerg Kressler at FMF. 

1 Pizzi, K. L. Mittal (Eds.), Handbook of Adhesive Technologf, 2nd edn., Marcel Dek-ker, New York, 2003. 

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