Synthesis and characterization of new polymeric materials for advanced applications

The main aim of this thesis was to synthesize and characterize new kinds of polymeric nanocomposite materials, includingstimuli responsivehydrogels, organic-inorganic interpenetrating polymer networks, polyacrylates and polyurethanes. Specifically, this work was divided in two main threads: in the first one, electric field-, ionic force-, pH- and thermo-responsive hydrogels were prepared, whose thermal and mechanical properties, as well as the swelling behavior were strongly improved by the introduction of graphene or CNC into the polymer matrix; in the second one, a simple and efficient method for graphene production was developed and used for the obtainment of the corresponding polymer nanocomposites. In particular, defect-free graphene was produced at high concentration by sonication of graphite in different liquid media and, for the first time, directly in a monomer, thus further simplifying the route for the synthesis of nanocomposites. Moreover, the effect of the nanofillers on the general properties of all the synthesized materials was also widely investigated.