Structure property relationships in polymer blends and composites. Part I. Polymer/POSS composites. Part II. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) ionomer/polyamide 6 blends. Part III. Elastomer/boron nitride composites

Multiphase polymer systems are an increasingly important technical area of polymer science. By definition, a multiphase system is one that has two or more distinct phases. From the standpoint of commercial applications and developments, polymer blending represents one of the easiest ways to achieve properties not available in individual materials. This work discusses the structure property relationships in polymer certain blends and composites.; Polymer/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSSRTM) blends and copolymers have gained significant attention in the last decade due the unique properties of the inorganic-organic hybrid structure of POSS. The majority of the research in polymer/POSS has been in the form of copolymers and thermosets. The criteria for the reinforcement of polymers using POSS as a filler material is not been discussed in literature. Part I of the thesis will highlight the effect of blending POSS with different polymers and discuss the rules for reinforcement of polymers when using POSS as a filler material. Part II of the thesis will discuss the structure property relationships in poly(ethylene terephthalate) ionomer/polyamide 6 blends. Part III will discuss the control of coefficient of thermal expansion of elastomers using boron nitride as a filler material.