1/28/2011
Effect of tethering chemistry of cationic surfactants on clay exfoliation, electrospinning and diameter of PMMA/clay nanocomposite fibers  
(6295-6302) Polymer 51 #26 (2010)
Wang, Yu, Hsieh and Rutledge of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the US Army Research Laboratory showed that the reactive tethering group of methacryl functionality significantly improves the intercalation and exfoliation of clays in both in-situ polymerized PMMA nanocomposites and the corresponding electrospun fibers.  These results suggest a new strategy to produce smaller diameter fibers from very dilute polymer solutions, which are otherwise not electrospinnable, by incorporating a small amount of well-exfoliated clays.  (RDC 1/27/2011)