Polymer/clay and polymer/carbon nanotube hybrid organic–inorganic multilayered composites made by sequential layering of nanometer scale films

This review article focuses on the preparation and applications of layer-by-layer (LBL) assembled organic/inorganic films. As model systems we use incorporation of two multi-functional nanomaterials in the LBL: the clay nanosheets and carbon nanotubes. All the aspects of the composite design starting with the structure of the individual nano-scale building blocks and their interactions with polymer matrix, orientation of the inorganic components in the multilayer, origin of record properties, and most likely applications of the resulting materials are given. Special attention is placed on the understanding of the control parameters for key functional properties such as mechanical strength/stiffness/toughness, electrical transport, transparency, and some properties relevant for biological applications.