Proposal of the Polymer Chain Alignment Model

Four important models for explaining the properties that are observed in polymer based nanocomposites are the multi-core model, the intensity model, the interphase volume model and the double layer model. This paper outlines a new model, based on those four, which aims to explain certain properties that are considered unique to nanocomposites. The idea behind the polymer chain alignment model is that the material properties of nanocomposites strongly depend on processes prior to and during polymerization. It is assumed that a successful surface modification of nanoparticles leads to the formation of a rigid layer around each nanoparticle with properties differing from both host and filler material. The assumptions taken for the model were correlated with experimental data on epoxy based polymer nanocomposites.