Polymer Single Crystal Meets Nanoparticles

1-D nanotube/polymer system, 0-D nanoparticles and polymer single crystals combinations provide a novel means for nanohybrid material design. Using solution crystallization, clean single crystals of PE and Nylon 6,6 were successfully grown on the surface of polymer/carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposites (PCN), and nanohybrid shish kebab (NHSK) was formed. It has been demonstrated that preformed nanoparticles can also be immobilized onto the surface of polymer single crystals through coupling with the polymer chain ends. If polymer lamella is considered as a thin sheet of paper, lamella with functional groups on the surface can then be regarded as a nanoscale sticky tape. The nanoparticle coated polymer single crystals have a sandwich structure, which might find applications in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) as well as microfluidic applications. These nanhybrid materials offer novel properties, and also provide unique opportunities for studying the fundamentals of polymer physics.