Fabrication of polymer nanostructures by ¿template synthesis¿ and polymer properties under confinement

Abstract

This work reports a detailed description for the fabrication of Anodized Aluminum Oxide (AAO) templates and the obtention of different 1-D polymer nanostructures by two infiltration methods, melt wetting method and solution wetting method. The fabrication conditions to prepare different type of polymer nanostructures from nanotubes to nanorods and spheres are also reported. Some of the most relevant physical phenomena in relation to the final properties are studied: crystallization and molecular dynamics of the polymers for example. Here, are shown the effects of the nanoconfinement on the crystallization of polymers and how under the rigid two dimensional confinements of aligned cylindrical nanopores the presence of gold nanoparticles turns nucleation-dominated crystallization into growth-dominated crystallization. The work presents an investigation on the dynamics of PEO and PDMS chains confined in AAO nanopores by neutron scattering. Moreover, the molecular dynamics studies by dielectric spectroscopy measurements of PS-b-P4VP copolymer presented both in the bulk and in confined geometries, into a range of nanoscopic morphologies are reported. Finally, the fabrication of two new functionalized 1-D polymer composite nanostructures with technological interest are presented. Moreover, in order to expand the applications of 1-D polymer nanostructures, it is necessary to recycle the AAO templates and/or to scale up the fabrication process, so a method for recycling anodic aluminum oxide templates is also introduced.