Morphology Selection of Nanoparticle Dispersions by Polymer Media

Designable media can control properties of nanocomposite materials by spatially organizing nanoparticles. Here we theoretically study particle organization by ultrathin polymer films of grafted chains ("brushes"). Polymer-soluble nanoparticles smaller than a brush-determined threshold disperse in the film to a depth scaling inversely with particle volume. In the polymer-insoluble case, aggregation is directed: provided particles are nonwetting at the film surface, the brush stabilizes the dispersion and selects its final morphology of giant elongated aggregates with a brush-selected width.