Off-campus UMass Amherst users: To download dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your UMass Amherst user name and password.
Non-UMass Amherst users, please click the view more button below to purchase a copy of this dissertation from Proquest.
(Some titles may also be available free of charge in our Open Access Dissertation Collection, so please check there first.)
Studies of light scattering and morphologies of phase-separated polymer/nanoparticle mixtures
Abstract
Nowadays, solid “filler” particles can be found in many manufactured polymeric materials because of the enhanced thermal and mechanical properties these particles can offer. However, the influence of the “filler” particles, especially those with size on a nanoscopic scale, on the structural evolution of multicomponent systems, is still poorly understood. In this thesis, the spinodal decomposition (SD) of polystyrene/poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PS/PVME) polymer blend system mixed with different nanoparticles have been investigated by the small angle light scattering (SALS) technique. Interpreting the data using the Cahn-Hilliard linear theory and the scaling theory on early stage and late stage, respectively, we concluded that the addition of nanoparticles into the pure polymer blends can cause a retardation of the phase separation. Furthermore, experiments on polystyrene/poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (PS/P2VP) polymer blends mixed with polystyrene-covered gold nanoparticles (Au-PS) have shown that during the spinodal decomposition these Au-PS nanoparticles can self-assemble at the continuous PS/P2VP interface, due to the tendency to reduce interfacial energy, making it possible to create the so-called “bijel” structure (bicontinuous interfacially jammed emulsion jel). We believe that the “bijel” structures have a huge potential of being used in areas such as photovoltaics and catalysis, because of their large surface areas.
Subject Area
Condensed matter physics|Materials science
Recommended Citation
Ding, Xuan, "Studies of light scattering and morphologies of phase-separated polymer/nanoparticle mixtures" (2011). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI3482612.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI3482612