Polymer/SiO2 Nanocomposites: Production and Applications

Abstract

At the present modern age, perhaps nanocomposites (NC)s are the most attractive materials which hold their situation in almost all of our life’s aspects. Among different kinds of the NCs, polymer based NCs are the most prominent one and have more adherents. Polymers are prepared via easily and relatively inexpensive routes, and have many favorable properties, such as light weight, ductility, and flexibility. The outstanding properties presented by the polymer/SiO₂ NC (PSNC)s prompted us to focus particularly on them in this review. First, we briefly elucidate about the nano-building block of these NCs and its preparation methods. Afterwards, this review concentrates on the NCs’ fabrication strategies and finally the most important properties and the related practical applications which are newly presented will be discussed.