TY - JOUR
T1 - Composites of hydrophilic polymers and organic nanocrystals enable enhanced robustness
AU - Dutta, Sounak
AU - Sui, Xiao Meng
AU - Weissman, Haim
AU - Kalchenko, Vyacheslav
AU - Wagner, Hanoch Daniel
AU - Rybtchinski, Boris
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - We describe a new family of composite materials, polymer/organic nanocrystal (ONC) hybrids. These were prepared from soluble ONCs based on perylene diimides (PDI) and water-soluble polymers (sodium alginate and polyvinyl alcohol). Polymer/ONC films were characterized by optical spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and tensile strength studies. The films show enhanced chemical and mechanical stability due to synergy between the constituents. The hybrid films are stable in both water and organic solvents, unlike the individual components. The ONCs we employed possess nonlinear optical activity (second harmonic generation, SHG); they showed improved photostability (stable SHG under laser light) in the hybrids. Tensile strength enhancement (as high as twofold in the film having just 2.4% ONCs by weight) was observed as revealed by mechanical measurements. Hybrids with aligned ONCs were also prepared using simple extrusion via syringe needle followed by gelation. Employing ONCs in polymeric hybrid materials enables facile fabrication in aqueous media, synergy, chemical, mechanical, and photostability as well as useful photofunction (SHG), introducing a versatile class of composite materials.
AB - We describe a new family of composite materials, polymer/organic nanocrystal (ONC) hybrids. These were prepared from soluble ONCs based on perylene diimides (PDI) and water-soluble polymers (sodium alginate and polyvinyl alcohol). Polymer/ONC films were characterized by optical spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and tensile strength studies. The films show enhanced chemical and mechanical stability due to synergy between the constituents. The hybrid films are stable in both water and organic solvents, unlike the individual components. The ONCs we employed possess nonlinear optical activity (second harmonic generation, SHG); they showed improved photostability (stable SHG under laser light) in the hybrids. Tensile strength enhancement (as high as twofold in the film having just 2.4% ONCs by weight) was observed as revealed by mechanical measurements. Hybrids with aligned ONCs were also prepared using simple extrusion via syringe needle followed by gelation. Employing ONCs in polymeric hybrid materials enables facile fabrication in aqueous media, synergy, chemical, mechanical, and photostability as well as useful photofunction (SHG), introducing a versatile class of composite materials.
KW - hybrid materials
KW - nonlinear optics
KW - organic nanocrystals
KW - polymer composites
KW - self-assembly
KW - synergetic materials
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U2 - 10.1002/pat.4727
DO - 10.1002/pat.4727
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85070710904
JO - Polymers for Advanced Technologies
JF - Polymers for Advanced Technologies
SN - 1042-7147
ER -