Abstract
Fabrication of polymer-nanoparticle nanocomposites typically relies on mixing nanoparticle and polymer solutions, which renders little control over nanoparticle incorporation, and homogeneity of the resulting composite material. This work focuses on the thermally induced embedment of monocrystalline silver nanocubes (AgNCs) into polymer surfaces. The AgNCs are initially deposited through a Langmuir approach onto films of immiscible blended polymer films, which allows fine control over nanoparticle density and aggregation state. This nanoparticle/polymer composite is then heated above the glass transition temperature (Tg) of a polymer, which initiates the irreversible embedding of the AgNCs. The immiscible ternary polymer films featured discrete domains (with different Tgs), which were altered by changing the amount of polystyrene, poly(2-vinylpyridine) and poly(methyl methacrylate) within the polymer solution. The Tg dependence of the embedding process allowed the selective embedment of AgNCs into discrete polymer domains. The process was monitored in real time by using spatially separated hybrid plasmon modes, through peak shifts observed in a UV-vis spectrum. Enhanced surface confinement was observed for certain tripolymer films when compared to polystyrene–AgNC nanocomposites, due to changes in the surface energy within the blend. This work brings interesting insight on nanoparticle-blended polymer interactions and provides a fairly universal approach for the fabrication of these polymer–metal nanoparticle nanocomposites, which is of particular interest in fields that require fine control over nanoparticle incorporation within segregated polymer domains.
Highlights
Polymer blends are of particular interest as they are a costeffective means to optimize polymer material properties, such as: conductivity,[1] bio-compatibility,[2] rubberiness,[3] and physical/ chemical robustness.[4,5] Incorporation of nanoparticles into polymer blends can even further enhance useful properties of these polymer blends, such as domain solubility and stability,[6] and can lead to nanoparticle induced morphological changes.[7]
The immiscible ternary polymer films featured discrete domains, which were altered by changing the amount of polystyrene, poly(2-vinylpyridine) and poly(methyl methacrylate) within the polymer solution
This work brings interesting insight on nanoparticle-blended polymer interactions and provides a fairly universal approach for the fabrication of these polymer–metal nanoparticle nanocomposites, which is of particular interest in fields that require fine control over nanoparticle incorporation within segregated polymer domains
Summary
Polymer blends are of particular interest as they are a costeffective means to optimize polymer material properties, such as: conductivity,[1] bio-compatibility,[2] rubberiness,[3] and physical/ chemical robustness.[4,5] Incorporation of nanoparticles into polymer blends can even further enhance useful properties of these polymer blends, such as domain solubility and stability,[6] and can lead to nanoparticle induced morphological changes.[7]. AgNCs were deposited onto blended polymer thin lms using a Langmuir technique for ne control over the density of the resulting nanocube monolayer. By heating the sample above the glass transition temperature, the AgNCs were irreversibly incorporated into the polymer. Silver nanocrystals were deposited onto the polymer lms by Langmuir–Schaefer deposition, as previously described.[16] Speci cally, a UV-vis spectrum of the AgNCs suspended in ethanol was obtained and used to determine the optimal aliquot of the AgNC solution to disperse in 250 mL of chloroform and 10 mL of a 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine solution (1 mg mLÀ1 in ethanol). Silver nanocube monolayers were heated using a homemade heating set up, designed to measure the temperature and UV-vis spectra automated, and in real-time. AFM images were processed with Nova image processing so ware
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