Interactions of nanoscopic particles with phase-separating polymeric mixtures

Roughly 70% of all manufactured polymeric materials contain solid 'filler' particles. These filled systems exhibit increased strength and heat resistance, and decreased gas permeability as compared to the pure polymer matrix. While the solid additives are essential for providing the desired attributes, the influence of nanoscopic particles on the structural evolution of multicomponent polymeric fluids is still poorly understood. New research is revealing that a dynamic coupling between the fluid-fluid phase separation and fluid-particle wetting significantly affects the morphology and kinetic behavior of the system. In the case of diblock/filler mixtures, the particles can influence the orientation and size of lamellar domains. Thus, the emerging results provide guidelines for fabricating new composite materials. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.