Issue 2, 2016

The degradation of mechanical properties in polymer nano-composites exposed to liquid media – a review

Abstract

The advancement of polymer nano-composites has been motivated by the need for materials with a specific combination of mechanical properties beyond those achieved from only one material. Integration of reinforcement into polymers at the nanoscale can provide a significant increase in numerous physical and mechanical properties of polymer nano-composites. However, in applications where contact with liquid media is unavoidable, the mechanical properties of polymer nano-composites suffer degradation which is a commonly observed phenomenon. Non aggressive liquid such as water is capable of lowering the mechanical properties of polymer nano-composites by acting as plasticizers while moderate and severe aggressive liquid when combined with residual stresses can cause unexpected brittle failure known as ESC. To date, only a few studies are reported discussing the ability of nano-fillers to resist degradation of mechanical properties in polymer nano-composites when exposed to liquid media. In this review, various factors responsible for mechanical property degradation caused by liquid media in polymer nano-composites and their remedies are studied.

Graphical abstract: The degradation of mechanical properties in polymer nano-composites exposed to liquid media – a review

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
28 Oct 2015
Accepted
11 Dec 2015
First published
14 Dec 2015
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2016,6, 1076-1089

Author version available

The degradation of mechanical properties in polymer nano-composites exposed to liquid media – a review

M. S. Saharudin, R. Atif, I. Shyha and F. Inam, RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 1076 DOI: 10.1039/C5RA22620A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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