Amount Of Worms Research Articles

Polymeric nanocomposites based on high aspect ratio polymer fillers: Simultaneous improvement in tensile strength and stretchability

We have prepared polymer nanocomposite films reinforced with polymer worms synthesized via polymerization induced self-assembly (PISA). Films were prepared by mixing a soap-free polymer latex (base matrix) and an aqueous worm dispersion, followed by solvent casting. Three types of worms with different core-forming blocks were used as nanofillers. Uniaxial tensile testing was conducted to study the effect of worms on the mechanical properties of the films. The effects of core-forming block as well as amount of worms on the film reinforcement were investigated. It is demonstrated that the worms can improve the mechanical properties of the films at very low loading (1 wt% relative to the polymer matrix), and the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the core-forming block plays an important role for effective reinforcement.