The integration of inorganic nanoparticles into polymers has been used for the functionalization of polymer materials with great success. Whereas in traditional polymer composites, micron sized particles or agglomerates typically cause significant light scattering hampering optical applications, in nanocomposites the particle dimensions are small enough for the production of highly transparent composites. A challenge for the generation of such materials is to develop an integrated synthesis strategy adapting particle generation, surface modification and integration inside the polymer. Surface grafting using polymerizable surfactants or capping agents allows for linking the particles to the polymer. Novel techniques such as in situ polymerization and in situ particle processing are beneficial to avoid aggregation of inorganic particles inside the polymer matrix. The functions associated with inorganic fillers are widespread. Layered silicates and related materials are nowadays commercially available for improving mechanical and barrier properties in packaging. With the availability of highly transparent materials, the focus has shifted towards optical functions such as luminescence and UV-protection in transparent polymers. IR-active fillers are used in laser-holography for transparent poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanocomposites. Refractive index modulation and ultrahigh refractive index films were developed based on inorganic materials such as PbS. The integration of magnetic nanoparticles has a great potential for applications such as electromagnetic interference shielding and magneto-optical storage.This tutorial review will summarize functions associated with the integration of inorganic nanofillers in polymers with a focus on optical properties.

Functional inorganic nanofillers for transparent polymers

Rapid developments in advanced photonic devices have led to the increasing exploration of high refractive index (high-n) materials, particularly high-refractive-index polymers (HRIP). High refractive indices have been achieved either by introducing substituents with high molar refractions to make intrinsic HRIPs or by combining high-nnanoparticles with polymer matrixes to make HRIP nanocomposites. For intrinsic HRIPs, aromatic rings, sulfur-containing groups, halogens except fluorine and organometallic moieties are often utilized to increase their refractive indices. However, their upper n limitation is usually below 1.80. Incorporation of high-nnanoparticles into polymers seems to be a more promising strategy to achieve a refractive index higher than 1.80; however, the obtained organic–inorganic hybrid materials sometimes suffer from poor storage stability, higher optical loss and poor processability. Besides the refractive index, optical dispersion (Abbe number), birefringence and optical transparency are often involved in designing HRIPs for practical optical fabrications. Therefore, research of HRIPs is becoming an interdisciplinary subject. This feature article reviews recent developments in optical HRIPs and their typical applications in high-tech fields.

High refractive index polymers: fundamental research and practical applications

High refractive index polymers have been widely developed in recent years for their potential applications in advanced optoelectronic fabrications, such as high performance components for advanced display devices, encapsulants for light-emitting diode devices, microlens components for complementary metal oxide semiconductor image sensors, plastic lenses for eyeglasses, and camera, pick-up, and projector lenses. This Perspective describes the recent progress in high refractive index (n) polymers over the past decade and focuses on the design concept to increase n values and Abbe’s number (ν) of polymers. After a brief introduction of the basic methodology for developing high-n polymers and important parameters, such as Abbe’s number and birefringence, applications of high-n polymers, such as antirefractive coatings, microlenses for CMOS image sensors, encapsulants for LEDs, and high-n thermoplastic lenses, are highlighted.

Recent Progress in High Refractive Index Polymers

This article provides an up-to-date review on nanocomposites composed of inorganic nanoparticles and the polymer matrix for optical and magnetic applications. Optical or magnetic characteristics can change upon the decrease of particle sizes to very small dimensions, which are, in general, of major interest in the area of nanocomposite materials. The use of inorganic nanoparticles into the polymer matrix can provide high-performance novel materials that find applications in many industrial fields. With this respect, frequently considered features are optical properties such as light absorption (UV and color), and the extent of light scattering or, in the case of metal particles, photoluminescence, dichroism, and so on, and magnetic properties such as superparamagnetism, electromagnetic wave absorption, and electromagnetic interference shielding. A general introduction, definition, and historical development of polymer-inorganic nanocomposites as well as a comprehensive review of synthetic techniques for polymer-inorganic nanocomposites will be given. Future possibilities for the development of nanocomposites for optical and magnetic applications are also introduced. It is expected that the use of new functional inorganic nano-fillers will lead to new polymer-inorganic nanocomposites with unique combinations of material properties. By careful selection of synthetic techniques and understanding/exploiting the unique physics of the polymeric nanocomposites in such materials, novel functional polymer-inorganic nanocomposites can be designed and fabricated for new interesting applications such as optoelectronic and magneto-optic applications. Keywords: nano-filler; nano-inclusion; hybrid; effective additive; surface modification; superparamagnetism; UV absorption; in-situ polymerization; dichroism (Published: 2 August 2010) Citation: Nano Reviews 2010, 1: 5214 - DOI: 10.3402/nano.v1i0.5214

/pdf/nanocomposites-of-polymer-and-inorganic-nanoparticles-for-1tmjl4fsok.pdf

Nanocomposites of polymer and inorganic nanoparticles for optical and magnetic applications

Organic–inorganic nanocomposites with high refractive index (RI) are typically constructed by integrating high RI inorganic nanoscale building blocks into a processable, transparent organic matrix. These nanocomposites combine the numerous advantages of organic and inorganic components, and have many promising applications in optical design and advanced optoelectronic fabrication. A substantial amount of work has been performed in this area. This Feature article summarizes the general design principles and different fabrication approaches of high RI nanocomposites, and reviews recent research advances and some important optical applications of these nanocomposites.

High refractive index organic–inorganic nanocomposites: design, synthesis and application

Preparation of polymer nanocomposites with “ultrahigh” refractive index

Handle everyday research tasks with reliable, citation-backed results

Your personal Research Agent to handle research tasks with citation-backed results

Popular Tasks used by Researchers

How can I help with your research?

Meet SciSpace

Get more enhanced response by uploading the PDFs you want me to reference.

No relevant PDFs in your library

SciSpace is the AI research assistant for academics. Run systematic literature reviews on 280M+ papers, and write papers with cited sources. Trusted by 1M+ students, PhDs & researchers.

SciSpace | AI for Research

Analyze PDFs

Code & Manuscripts

Funding & Grants

Literature & Patents

Medical & Clinical Data

Systematic Review

Visualize & Present

Web & Data

Build a Google Scholar-like website for your research.

Build a website

Create charts and images for your research

Create a Chart

Write a paper for submission to a journal

Draft a manuscript

Patent Search

Design eye-catching scientific posters in minutes.

Scientific Poster Generation

Systematic Literature Review

One task is running at the moment. Your messages will be shown right after.

Drag and drop or click here to browse

Loved by <highlight>1 million+</highlight> researchers

Extract a list of specific topics and their sources from unstructured text

Topics

Compare and analyze relevant papers that matches with your search

Papers

Get insights from PDFs and bookmarked papers from your library

My library

Recent searches

Try searching for:

Catch AI-generated content in scholarly and non-scholarly content

{ai} Detector

Ai Writer

Get PDF Summaries, highlighted text explanations 

Chat with PDF

Effortlessly create in-text citations and bibliographies in APA and 2,500 other formats

Citation generator

Get explanations, summaries, and answers on academic papers

Ease up your research workflow with {scispace}'s cohort of exciting AI tools

Elevate your academic writing skills and convey your ideas the way you want

Paraphraser

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Your file is being prepared and should be ready in a few minutes. If it's a large file, it might take a bit longer. You can close this window, and we'll email you the file when it's done.

You have reached a maximum limit of <strong>{limit}</strong> columns in the table. Remove at least <strong>1</strong> column to add or create another one.

E. Wehrli

Author Tools

Chat about Author

Papers

Preparation of polymer nanocomposites with “ultrahigh” refractive index