Mechanical enhancement via self-assembled nanostructures in polymer nanocomposites

This article reports the synthesis of a diacetylene containing organogelator for the use as a nanoscale filler for mechanical enhancement in a polymer nanocomposite. The tensile storage modulus increased when the self-assembled nanostructures were incorporated into a polymer matrix. Below the glass transition temperature, a modest increase of the tensile storage modulus was observed, but above the glass transition temperature, almost a two order of magnitude increase at the highest filler loadings was found. Additionally, the presence of the self-assembled nanofibers, increased the tensile storage modulus greater than a similar filler that does not form 1D nanofibers highlighting the importance of self-assembly to the mechanical reinforcement.