An Overview on Applications of ZnO Nanostructures in Polymer Industries

Nowadays polymeric materials are an important part of human life around the world. Polymer materials are used to manufacture different substances from commonly used instruments to complex and precise scientific tools. Additives are commonly used in polymer industry to improve the properties of polymer materials and reduce their costs. Nano-scaled additives، due to their small dimensions and enormous surface area، produce improved properties compared to larger structures. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is an n type inorganic semiconductor with a band gap energy of 3. 37 eV which due to good stability، environmental friendly feature، high ultraviolet absorption and low cost are commonly used in polymer industry as inorganic additive. Therefore، ZnO nanostructures can produce various hybrid، blends or combination of composite materials in polymer matrixes and improve their properties. In this study، applications and the role of various nanostructures of zinc oxide in polymer productions are reviewed.