Nanodiamond-polymer composite fibers and coatings

ACS Nano. 2009 Feb 24;3(2):363-9. doi: 10.1021/nn800445z.

Abstract

While nanocrystalline diamond is quickly becoming one of the most widely studied nanomaterials, achieving a large fraction of diamond nanoparticles in a polymer coating has been an unresolved problem. In this work, polymer nano- and microfibers containing high loadings of 5 nm diamond particles (up to 80 wt % in polyacrylonitrile and 40% in polyamide 11) have been demonstrated using electrospun nanofibers as a delivery vehicle. The electrospun nanofibers with a high load of nanodiamond in the polymers were fused into thin transparent films, which had high mechanical properties; an improvement of 4 times for the Young's modulus and 2 times for the hardness was observed already at 20% nanodiamond in polyamide 11. These films can provide UV protection and scratch resistance to a variety of surfaces, especially in applications where a combination of mechanical, thermal, and dielectric properties is required.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Acrylic Resins / chemistry
  • Diamond / chemistry*
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
  • Nanocomposites / chemistry*
  • Nylons / chemistry
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet

Substances

  • Acrylic Resins
  • Nylons
  • Polymers
  • polyacrylonitrile
  • Diamond