Polymer/Layered Silicate Nanocomposites (Rapra review reports) (v. 14, No. 7)

Polymer/layered silicate (PLS) nanocomposites have
received a great deal of attention during the past
decade. They often exhibit attractive improvement
of material properties (393) when compared with
pure polymer or conventional composites (both
micro- and macro-composites). These improvements
can include, high moduli (a.1), increased strength
and heat resistance (a.2), decreased gas permeability
(410) and flammability (a.3) and increased
biodegradability of biodegradable polymers (a.4).
On the other hand, these materials have also been
proved unique model systems to study the structure
and dynamics of polymers in confined environments
(175, 176, 394).