1. High-Performance Polymer-Matrix Composites: Novel Routes of Synthesis and Interface-Structure-Property Correlations

No single material or a class of material meets the diverse set of properties required for different applications. Inherent advantages and disadvantages of metals, ceramics, or polymers have made it necessary to develop combinatorial approaches, wherein their functional advantages are maximized and drawbacks are abridged. Composites are the materials comprising two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical, mechanical, electrical, or thermal attributes. Composites offer material characteristics that are different from the individual components and can be engineered to entail synergistic advantages such as high strength, corrosion resistance, electrical or thermal conductivity, and low cost. Notably, in composites, the individual components may remain separate and distinct within the finished structure. The composite material is generally defined by the matrix such as metal-matrix composite, ceramic-matrix composites, and polymer-matrix composites, or by the type and morphological arrangement of the filler such as particle reinforced, fiber reinforced, unidirectional, random, laminates, or honeycombs. Fabrication of composite materials is accomplished by a wide variety of techniques such as melt compounding, in situ polymerization, tufting, tailored fiber placement and filament winding. Depending on the matrix and the filler, different synthetic strategies are adopted. Further with the advent of nano-sized fillers, new class of composites has emerged which have significant important advantages over the conventional composites. This chapter provides details on the synthesis strategies of different polymer-matrix composite materials. A detailed account of the strategies to tailor interfacial adhesion, dispersion, filler asymmetry, filler orientation, and high loading is made, and specific details on the synthesis of nanocomposites and the morphology-interface-property correlation are presented. Recent advances in the theoretical frameworks and the specific applications of the composites are also discussed.