High strength, thermostable and fast-drying hybrid transparent membranes with POSS nanoparticles aligned on aramid nanofibers

Abstract Hybrid organic/inorganic nanocomposites based on aramid nanofibers (ANFs) and different amounts of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanostructured chemicals were prepared via solution blending and vacuum-assisted flocculation, compared with traditional film fabrication methods, this process is time-saving by adopting ethanol as agglomerator. The mechanical properties of ANFPs membranes could be altered by changing the POSS content, in which the POSS served as a cross-linking agent between nanofibers, and ANFPs composite membrane presented the optimal tensile strength with 6 wt.% POSS NPs embedding in the nanocomposite. In addition to the satisfactory mechanical performance and vitreousness, the unique thermal assets of ANFs and POSS further enabled the membranes with high thermal stability. Based on these results, it could be concluded that the ANFPs membranes developed here might provide the alternative materials for the practical application of strong, transparent and heat-resistant membrane.