Adam P. Holt

TL;DR: In this article, the static and dynamic properties of poly(2-vinylpyridine)/silica nanocomposites are investigated by temperature modulated differential scanning calorimetry, broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and transmission electron microscopy.

TL;DR: The results demonstrate that the dynamic suppression at the interface is affected by the chain stretching, which suggests that the interfacial dynamics can be effectively tuned by the degree of stretching-a parameter accessible from the MW or grafting density.

TL;DR: This Letter uncovers the mechanism of PNC reinforcement within the glassy state by directly probing nanoscale mechanical properties with atomic force microscopy and macroscopic properties with Brillouin light scattering and unambiguously shows that the "glassy" Young's modulus in the interfacial polymer layer of P NCs is two-times higher than in the bulk polymer, which results in significant reinforcement below Tg.

TL;DR: The observations call for a significant revision of the current understandings of PNCs and suggest interesting ways to tailor their properties, including a reduction in mass density of the interfacial layer with increasing MW.

TL;DR: In this article, seven polymerized ionic liquids (PolyILs) were synthesized having degrees of polymerization ranging from 1 to 333, corresponding to molecular weights (MW) from 482 to 160 g/mol.