PMMA/silica nanocomposite studies: Synthesis and properties

Abstract

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)/silica nanocomposites are prepared by solution polymerization in this project and the resulting materials are subjected to characterization to evaluate thermal, mechanical, and fire properties. IR results show that both (3-acryloxypropyl)methydimethoxysilane (APMDMOS) and (3-acryloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMOS) can serve as reagents for the surface modification of silica, while APTMOS performed better than APMDMOS for the modification of the silica surface. Mechanical properties of PMMA/silica nanocomposites prepared by solution blending showed decreased tensile strength and elongation at break, while materials from solution polymerization performed better than PMMA itself. Moreover, all prepared samples have shown improved thermal stabilities versus PMMA. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 3844 -3850, 2004

Effect of ZnO on the Thermal Degradation Behavior of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Nanocomposites

“…It was shown that the addition of silica into PMMA improves thermal stability of the composites. This improved thermal stability was explained by the hindered mobility of the polymer chains due to the presence of filler, 15 the ability of silica nanoparticles to trap radicals during PMMA degradation and to act as a gas barrier preventing the degradation products from diffusing out of the composite, 14 or through a hydrogen-bonding interaction between carbonyl groups in PMMA and hydroxyl groups of the silica surface, 16 where hydrogen bonds interrupt the depolymerization of the polymer Japi} et al: Effect of ZnO on the Thermal Degradation Behavior ... chains. Similarly to silica, the addition of Fe 2 O 3 and TiO 2 nanoparticles into PMMA also influence the composite thermal stability.…”

High performance polyethylene nanocomposite fibers

“…In particular, a substantial improvement of the thermo-mechanical properties of polymer matrices has been reached by the introduction of high aspect ratio fillers, such as carbon nanotubes [2][3][4] and layered silicates [5][6][7][8][9][10]. Compared to the extended literature concerning these kinds of nanofillers, relatively few attention has been devoted to nanocomposites filled with metal oxide nanoparticles, such as fumed titania [11,12] and fumed silica [13][14][15]. For instance, Chaichana et al [16] developed a novel route to synthesize linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE)/nanosilica systems via in situ polymerization with a zirconocene/methyl alumoxane (MAO) catalyst, in order to study the effect of particle size on the catalytic properties of the resulting materials.…”

Role of Facilitated Transport Membranes and Composite Membranes for Efficient CO2 Capture – A Review

“…Yang et al [115] synthesized PMMA/silica nanocomposite membranes via solution polymerization. Two different types of coupling agents, namely APMDMOS and APTMOS, were used.…”