Inorganic nanoparticles have gained remarkable attention due to their varied uses in technical applications. They are often used in nanocomposites but the major drawback of these materials is the loss of compatibility between the inorganic nanoparticles and the polymer matrix. Usually, the hydrophobization of the inorganic nanoparticles is achieved by an organic shell. We developed two universal approaches for the preparation of polymer functionalized inorganic nanoparticles. In the first approach, called inverse emulsion technique, the formation and the hydrophobization of simple as well as more complex inorganic nanoparticles (e.g. perovskite based and core-shell nanoparticles) is achieved in one step. The emulsions were stabilized by a statistical amphiphilic copolymer. The second procedure uses preformed inorganic particles, as an aqueous dispersion, to modify them with surface active amphiphilic copolymers in a multicomponent solvent system. The modified inorganic nanoparticles are homogenously incorporated into a polymer matrix to form transparent nanocomposite materials.

Hydrophobisation of inorganic nanoparticles by amphiphilic copolymers for the homogenous incorporation in nanocomposites

239th National Meeting (2010)

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