摘要
Here we report the preparation of mechanically robust silica aerogel polymer nanocomposites using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. This approach was used to grow poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with low polydispersities and establish the first structure-property relationship between the grafted PMMA molecular weight and bulk physical properties of the hybrid aerogel. © 2010 The Royal Society of Chemistry.