Tailored Nanoparticles for Enhancing Polymer Adhesion

Nanoparticles have been widely reported to affect the physical properties of bulk polymer materials. ~Here, we report the ability of tailored inorganic nanoparticles to enhance interfacial properties, specifically the self-adhesion of a polymer melt. ~Gold nanoparticles tailored with low-molecular weight (MW$\sim $1500 g/mol) polystyrene ligands are introduced to the surface of a polystyrene film (MW$\sim $278 kg/mol) with low polydispersity. ~A second polystyrene film is brought into contact with the nanoparticle-decorated surface and subsequently annealed. ~ The resulting interfaces were characterized with the double cantilever beam (DCB) method to determine the strain energy release rate, G$_{c}$, of the welded interface as a function of nanoparticle surface coverage. ~The interfacial strength (G$_{c})$ increases with nanoparticle area fraction until a maximum G$_{c}$ is achieved at an optimal value of 0.07{\%}. ~The value of G$_{c}$ approximately increased by 100{\%} relative to a sample without nanoparticles. ~This enhancement of interfacial adhesion reveals the potential for~utilizing nanoparticles to improve mechanical properties of polymer interfaces in general.