METHOD FOR PRODUCING A COMPOSITION WITH SOLUBLE NANOPARTICLES FOR COMPOSITE PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT
FIG10A is a schematic illustration of the cured resin mixture of FIG10 after dissolution of the sheaths such that the shaped particles remains in the resin
FIG10A is a schematic illustration of the cured resin mixture 114 of FIG10 after dissolution of the sheaths 242 during the cure cycle such that only the shaped particles 246 remain after the resin mixture 114 cures. Advantageously, the dissolved sheath 242 may adhesively bond the core 244 (FIG10) to the cured resin 112 without the use of reactive species that may undesirably generate heat. Dissolution of the sheath 242 within the resin 112 may result in a significant increase in the toughness of the resin mixture 114 similar to the above-described toughness increase provided by the at least partial dissolution of polymer nanoparticles 200. Advantageously, by using a spherically-shaped sheath, the shaped particles 246 may be uniformly distributed within the resin 112 (FIG10) without agglomeration during resin flow, and without significantly increasing resin viscosity. The shaped particles 246 may be formed of any one of a variety of materials including, but not limited to, metallic material, polymeric material, and inorganic material including ceramics and glasses. In some examples, the shaped particles 246 may be formed of the same material as the resin 112 and may be at least partially cured prior to curing of the resin mixture 114.
schematic
242
sheath sheaths
112
resin resins
246
particles particle
10
constitute no less than
240
core-sheath nanoparticles core-sheath nanoparticle
244
core cores
110
composition
200
polymer nanoparticles polymer nanoparticle
114
resin mixture
['1. A method of manufacturing a composition, comprising: mixing soluble and/or semi-soluble polymer nanoparticles (204) into a resin (112) to form a resin mixture (114); curing the resin mixture; and at least partially dissolving the polymer nanoparticles in the resin prior to or during the curing of the resin.', '2. The method of Claim 1, wherein the polymer nanoparticles (204) are semi-soluble in the resin (112), the method further including: forming a gradient of mechanical properties between a particle center of the polymer nanoparticles and the resin in response to curing the resin.', '4. The method of Claim 3, wherein the polymer nanoparticles (204) include core-sheath nanoparticles (240) having a sheath (242) encapsulating a core (244), the method further including, the core being formed of insoluble material, the method further including: at least partially dissolving the sheath in the resin (112) prior to or during the curing of the resin such that the sheath bonds the core to the resin.', '9. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the nanoparticles constitute no less than 5 percent by volume of the resin mixture.']