2015 All rights reserved. Multifunctional polymer nanocomposites containing ZnO nanoparticles are prepared by direct mixing and a novel nanoplatelet-assisted dispersion method. Direct mixing causes the aggregation of ZnO nanoparticles in polymers, while with the aid of inorganic nanoplatelets ZnO nanoparticles can be well dispersed in both thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers even without nanoparticle surface modification. The dispersion state of ZnO nanoparticles is controlled by the ratio between nanoparticles and nanoplatelets and the physical properties, especially optical property, of polymer/ZnO nanocomposites are tuned by the nanoparticle dispersion state.
