Highly thermostable thin films based on polymer nanocomposites

Abstract

This article presents a review on highly thermostable polymer nanocomposites containing silica, based on author’s own researches, placed in a broader context of the published literature. Thin films based on various polymer matrices, using different alkoxysilanes as precursors of inorganic network, were prepared by sol-gel technique. The influence of silica content and of polymer chemical structure on the thermal, electrical and gas separation properties of the resulting films was investigated. Structure-properties relationships which could be used to design new materials with desired physico-chemical characteristics were established.

Keywords

• polymer thin films
• silica nanocomposites
• thermal stability
• dielectric properties
• gas separation