Glass Transition Temperature Regulates Mechanical Performance in Nacre‐Mimetic Nanocomposites

Read the full article here: Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2020, 41, 200380

By F. Lossada, T. Abbasoglu, D. Jiao, D. Hoenders, and A. Walther*

Although research in bioinspired nanocomposites is delivering mechanically superior nanocomposite materials, there remain gaps in understanding some fundamental design principles. This article discusses how the mechanical properties of nacre‐mimetic polymer/nanoclay nanocomposites with nanoconfined polymer layers are controlled by the thermo‐mechanical polymer properties, that is, glass transition temperature, Tg, using a series of poly(ethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate‐co‐N,N‐dimethylacrylamide) copolymers with tunable Tg from 130 to −55 °C. It is elucidated that both the type of copolymer and the nanoconfined polymer layer thickness control energy dissipation and inelastic deformation at high fractions of reinforcements in such bioinspired nanocomposites.