Aerospace and vehicle industry

Abstract With the advancement in material technology over ages, there has been growing needs among the human civilization for advanced systems with a combination of properties, which no single material can furnish. In this regard composites pose as a material of choice which utilizes the advantages of the constituent materials at the expense of their weaknesses. Out of the different types of composites known, polymeric materials filled with several inorganic, synthetic, and/or natural fibers offer a wide range of inherent characteristics in terms of heat resistance, mechanical and impact strength, stiffness, low electrical conductivity, and permeability to gases such as O2 and water vapor. They also possess added advantages of being very lightweight and resistant to a corrosive environment, due to which polymer composites find a place in many applications such as military and commercial aircraft, sporting equipment, structural, and automotive parts. Such unique property combinations emerge as a corollary to the specific arrangements between the polymer matrix and its reinforcements and their interactions; in particular the type of reinforcement. The fillers may be particulate or fibers, may be of micro scale or nanoscale. The literature revealed that microsized fillers mostly contain structural imperfections which reduce the interfacial interaction between the components. However, when the fillers are downsized to nanoscale, those imperfections are reduced and ultimate properties of the reinforced composites may be expected. In this chapter we have tried to add a flavor of polymer nanocomposites in application areas of aerospace and automotive sectors.