Evaporation-induced self-assembly of organic–inorganic ordered nanocomposite thin films that mimic nacre

The present study attempts to incorporate acrylate-based polymers into ordered lamellar organic–inorganic nanocomposite thin films composed of alternating Poly(TPGDA)/ITO layers. The films were prepared by dip-coating from a homogeneous solution containing the soluble inorganic metal salts (InCl3·4H2O and SnCl2·2H2O), surfactant, cross-linkers, organic monomers, and initiators, thus leading to composite lamellar nanocomposite materials through evaporation-induced self-assembly method. The final polymer/ITO nanocomposite thin film was obtained by a separate free-radical polymerization step, initiated by UV exposure. Structures and composition of the films were characterized using FTIR, XRD, UV–Vis spectrophotometer and TEM. The results indicated that the films were composed of organic and inorganic layers with orderly interlaced arrangement.