Using aligned nanocomposites to measure the anisotropy of confined polymer coils
Graphene materials have extraordinary physical properties, e.g conductivity, mechanical strength and surface area that may be married with polymer properties within nanocomposites. Alignment of the nanofiller in the direction of stress transfer is desirable toimprove nanocomposite properties, and small-angle scattering techniques allow an average measurement of the nanoparticle orientation. Previous SANS shows that, for randomly-oriented composites, there is a reduction in the polymer radius of gyration (Rg) that is most pronounced at a sweet spot in the nanofiller concentration. Here, we test the prediction that Rg is reduced normal to the nanofiller interface, while the coil dimensions parallel to the filler interface are unaffected. Composites made from reduced graphene oxide (rGO) will be prepared with a blend of hydrogenous and deuterated polymer. Aligned nanocomposites will be characterised by SAXS to measure the degree of alignment in the rGO. 2D SANS patterns from D11 will then measure the anisotropy in the scattering from the polymer chains. SANS offers a unique opportunity to study the average of the individual chain conformations in all directions.
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Michael P. Weir; BARSUK Daria; Stephen C Boothroyd; CLARKE Nigel; LINDNER Peter and Richard L Thompson. (2015). Using aligned nanocomposites to measure the anisotropy of confined polymer coils. Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) doi:10.5291/ILL-DATA.9-11-1767
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