This is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.
Paramita Bhattacharyya,
Sudipta Adhikary,
- Associate Professor, Department of Law, Brainware University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
- Associate Professor, Department of Law, Brainware University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Abstract
By combining the nanoscale reinforcements with polymer matrices, polymer nanocomposites have become one of the most promising classes of advanced materials with superior mechanical, thermal, electrical, barrier and multifunctional properties. This extensive review critically analyses the scientific advances made in polymer nanocomposites between 2000 and 2026, with focus on recent advances in polymer nanocomposite development, processing techniques, structure–property relationships and new applications. The review covers the impact of the nanofillers which are widely researched, such as carbon nanotubes, graphene and its derivatives, nanoclay, metal or metal oxide nanoparticles, nanocellulose, MXenes, and other modern nanofillers on the improvement of polymer matrices properties. In addition, important fabrication methods like solution blending, melt compounding, in situ polymerization, electrospinning, and additive manufacturing are discussed, with a particular focus on the dispersion of the nanoparticles, the engineering of interfaces, and the scalability of fabrication. The recent advances up to 2026 on the multifunctional polymer nanocomposites, such as self-healing, biodegradable, flame resistant, electrically conductive, shape memory and smart sensing are all broadly discussed in various applications including aerospace, automotive, biomedical engineering, flexible electronics, energy storage, packaging and environmental remediation. Also highlighted in the review are key issues of nanoparticle agglomeration, recyclability, environmental sustainability, toxicity, commercialization, and regulatory aspects. This review summarizes the most recent scientific advances in the field and points the way forward in research, giving an updated reference for researchers, engineers and industrial practitioners in the field of next generation high performance polymer nanocomposites.
Keywords: Polymer nanocomposites, nanotechnology, nanofillers, polymer matrices, sustainable nanocomposites.
References
[1] Ray SS, Okamoto M. Polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites: a review. Prog Polym Sci. 2003;28(11):1539–1641.
[2] Paul DR, Robeson LM. Polymer nanotechnology: nanocomposites. Polymer. 2008;49(15):3187–3204.
[3] Alexandre M, Dubois P. Polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites. Mater Sci Eng R. 2000;28(1–2):1–63.
[4] Kim H, Abdala AA. Nanocomposites: polymer blends and nanocomposites. J Appl Polym Sci. 2010;118(1):1–12.
[5] Iijima S. Helical microtubules of graphitic carbon. Nature. 1991; 354:56–58.
[6] Coleman JN, et al. Small but strong: a review of carbon nanotube–polymer composites. Carbon. 2006;44(9):1624–1652.
[7] Geim AK, Novoselov KS. The rise of graphene. Nat Mater. 2007; 6:183–191.
[8] Stankovich S, et al. Graphene-based polymer nanocomposites. Nature. 2006; 442:282–286.
[9] Naguib M, et al. MXenes: a new family of 2D materials. Adv Mater. 2011;23(37):4248–4253.
[10] Anasori B, Lukatskaya MR, Gogotsi Y. 2D metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes). Nat Rev Mater. 2017; 2:16098.
[11] Kojima Y, et al. Mechanical properties of nylon–clay hybrid. J Mater Sci. 1993; 28:6393–6398.
[12] Okada A, Usuki A. Polymer–clay nanocomposites. Macromol Mater Eng. 1995;280–281:1–10.
[13] Vaia RA, Giannelis EP. Polymer melt intercalation in layered silicates. Macromolecules. 1997;30(25):7990–7999.
[14] Klemm D, et al. Nanocelluloses: a new family of nature-based materials. Angew Chem Int Ed. 2011;50(24):5438–5466.
[15] Moon RJ, et al. Cellulose nanomaterials review. Chem Soc Rev. 2011; 40:3941–3994.
[16] Habibi Y, Lucia LA, Rojas OJ. Cellulose nanocrystals. Chem Rev. 2010;110(6):3479–3500.
[17] Yang W, et al. Metal oxide nanocomposites. Adv Funct Mater. 2005;15(5):749–754.
[18] Zhang Q, et al. ZnO and TiO₂ polymer nanocomposites. Prog Polym Sci. 2014;39(2):281–298.
[19] Reneker DH, Chun I. Nanofiber electrospinning. Nanotechnology. 1996;7(3):216–223.
[20] Li D, Xia Y. Electrospinning of nanofibers. Adv Mater. 2004;16(14):1151–1170.
[21] Greiner A, Wendorff JH. Electrospinning: a fascinating method. Angew Chem Int Ed. 2007;46:5670–5703.
[22] Sinha Ray SS, Okamoto M. Polymer nanocomposites processing. Prog Polym Sci. 2003; 28:1539–1641.
[23] Mittal V. Polymer nanocomposites: processing methods. Materials. 2015;8(6):3327–3350.
[24] Zare Y. Polymer nanocomposite processing techniques. Compos B Eng. 2016; 84:112–122.
[25] Gibson I, Rosen D, Stucker B. Additive manufacturing technologies. Springer; 2015.
[26] White SR, et al. Autonomic healing in polymers. Nature. 2001; 409:794–797.
[27] Toohey KS, et al. Vascular self-healing materials. Nat Mater. 2007; 6:581–585.
[28] Blaiszik BJ, et al. Self-healing polymer systems. Annu Rev Mater Res. 2010; 40:179–211.
[29] Hager MD, et al. Self-healing materials. Adv Mater. 2010; 22:5424–5430.
[30] Thostenson ET, Ren Z, Chou TW. CNT composites. Compos Sci Technol. 2001; 61:1899–1912.
[31] Wagner HD, Lordi V. CNT reinforcement mechanism. Phys Rev Lett. 2001; 86:1883–1886.
[32] Gupta RK, et al. Nanocomposite mechanical properties. Polym Rev. 2006;46(2):217–250.
[33] Bakshi SR, et al. CNT nanocomposites applications. Compos A Appl Sci Manuf. 2010; 41:986–1001.
[34] Koo JH. Polymer nanocomposites in electronics. Polym Sci. 2006; 48:249–260.
[35] Mittal V. Nanocomposites in biomedical applications. Mater Sci Eng C. 2011; 31:1123–1132.
[36] Mallick PK. Fiber-reinforced composites applications. CRC Press; 2010.
[37] Koronis G, Silva A, Fontul M. Green composites review. Compos B Eng. 2013; 44:447–456.
[38] Faruk O, et al. Biofiber reinforced composites. Prog Polym Sci. 2012; 37:1552–1596.
[39] Reddy N, Yang Y. Renewable nanocomposites. Polym Degrad Stab. 2005; 90:132–140.
[40] Butler KT, et al. Machine learning in materials science. Nature. 2018; 559:547–555.
[41] Mannodi-Kanakkithodi A, et al. Materials informatics. Nat Mater. 2016; 15:1133–1138.
[42] Sorkin V, et al. MXene-based nanocomposites. 2D Mater. 2017; 4:015039.
[43] Jian S, Zhu J, Jiang S, et al. Nanofibers with diameter below one nanometer from electrospinning. RSC Adv. 2018; 8:4794–4802.
[44] Kumar VV, Ramakrishna S, et al. Electrospun nanofiber interleaving in composites. Mater Des Process Commun. 2019;1:e24.
[45] Soutis C. Fibre reinforced composites in aircraft construction. Prog Aerosp Sci. 2005; 41:143–151.
[46] Holbery J, Houston D. Natural-fiber composites in automotive applications. JOM. 2006; 58:80–86.
[47] Park Y, Kim Y, Lee SH. Long-term flexural behavior of GFRP beams. Polymers. 2014; 6:1773–1793.
[48] Ferreira JG, Branco FA. GRC in telecommunication towers. Constr Build Mater. 2007; 21:19–28.
[50] Jain MP. Indian Constitutional Law. 9th ed. LexisNexis; 2025.
Journal of Polymer & Composites
| Volume | 14 | |
| 05 | ||
| Received | 02/07/2026 | |
| Accepted | 13/07/2026 | |
| Published | 10/08/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 39 Days |