The intrinsic properties of nanomaterials offer promise for technological revolutions in many fields, including transportation, soft robotics, and energy. Unfortunately, the exploitation of such properties in polymer nanocomposites is extremely challenging due to the lack of viable dispersion routes when the filler content is high. We usually face a dichotomy between the degree of nanofiller loading and the degree of dispersion (and, thus, performance) because dispersion quality decreases with loading. Here, we demonstrate a potentially scalable pressing-and-folding method (P & F), inspired by the art of croissant-making, to efficiently disperse ultrahigh loadings of nanofillers in polymer matrices. A desired nanofiller dispersion can be achieved simply by selecting a sufficient number of P & F cycles. Because of the fine microstructural control enabled by P & F, mechanical reinforcements close to the theoretical maximum and independent of nanofiller loading (up to 74 vol %) were obtained. We propose a universal model for the P & F dispersion process that is parametrized on an experimentally quantifiable " D factor". The model represents a general guideline for the optimization of nanocomposites with enhanced functionalities including sensing, heat management, and energy storage.

中文翻译：

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羊角面包制作技术打破了聚合物纳米复合材料中的纳米粒子负载-分散二分法。

纳米材料的内在特性为交通，软机器人和能源等许多领域的技术革命提供了希望。不幸的是，由于当填料含量高时缺乏可行的分散途径，因此在聚合物纳米复合材料中利用这种性能极具挑战性。我们通常会遇到纳米填料负载程度和分散程度（以及性能）之间的二分法，因为分散质量会随着负载的下降而降低。在这里，我们展示了一种潜在可扩展的压制和折叠方法（P＆F），该技术受制于牛角面包制作技术，可有效地将超高填充量的纳米填料分散在聚合物基质中。通过选择足够数量的P＆F循环，可以轻松实现所需的纳米填料分散。由于P＆F实现了精细的微结构控制，因此获得了接近理论最大值的机械增强材料，并且与纳米填料的填充量无关（高达74 vol％）。我们为P＆F分散过程提出了一个通用模型，该模型在实验上可量化的“ D因子”上进行了参数化。该模型代表了具有增强功能（包括传感，热量管理和能量存储）的纳米复合材料优化的一般指南。