Polymer-based nanomaterials: an introduction

The contemporary past in industrial progress authenticated that advancement in nanoscience and polymer science is the essential part. The merger of polymer science and nanotechnology has been emerged as one of the conceivable fields for the search of broad spectra of various applications. The useful nature of the macromolecular substances and different features of nanomaterials have made remarkable addition in features of polymeric nanomaterials and has resulted in extraordinary applications. Additionally, the advantageous role of polymers is that their acceptance of different stimuli has totally changed the structure or it has changed the layout of various applications used in polymeric nanomaterials. Polymer nanocomposites are acquiring importance in the scientific solicitation because of their unique characteristics such as mechanical, physical, and chemical, and their magnified execution when collated with other substantial analogs. Hence, this chapter describes the knowledge on nanomaterials, polymeric nanomaterials, their types, methods of synthesis (solution casting, melt blending, electrodeposition, electrospinning, in-situ polymerization, and others) for the manufacturing of polymeric nanomaterials and their characterizations (Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction Spectroscopy (XRD), Energy Dispersion X- Ray analysis (EDX), and others). Afterward, we have discussed the applications of polymeric nanomaterials in different areas such as coating, sensor, biomedical, etc. On the other hand, discussions related to key areas of polymeric nanomaterials and future perspectives are explained.