The effect of silica nanoparticles on the morphology, mechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of PMMA

Abstract Silica–PMMA nanocomposites with different silica quantities were prepared by a melt compounding method. The effect of silica amount, in the range 1–5 wt.%, on the morphology, mechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of PMMA was investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 13 C cross-polarization magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 13 C{ 1 H} CP-MAS NMR) and measures of proton spin-lattice relaxation time in the rotating frame ( T 1 ρ ( H )), in the laboratory frame ( T 1 ( H )) a…

The effect of silica nanoparticles on the morphology, mechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of polycarbonate

Abstract Polycarbonate/silica nanocomposites with different silica quantities were prepared by a melt compounding method. The effect of silica amount, in the range 1–5 wt.%, on the morphology, mechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of polycarbonate (PC) was investigated. Clusters of silica nanoparticles were well dispersed in the polycarbonate whose structure remained amorphous. NMR results showed intermolecular interactions involving the carbonyl groups of different polymeric chains which did not affect the intramolecular rotational motions. The presence of the lowest silica content showed a decrease in the storage and loss moduli below the glass transition temperature, pro…

PMMA-titania nanocomposites: Properties and thermal degradation behavior

Titania nanoparticles were prepared using a solegel method and calcination at 200 and 600 � C in order to obtain anatase and rutile phases, respectively. The obtained powders were used to prepare PMMAe titania nanocomposites by a melt compounding method. The effect of the crystalline phase and the amount of titania, in the range 1e5 wt.%, on the morphology, mechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of PMMA was investigated by means of X-ray diffractometry (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), 13 C cross-polarization magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 13 C{ 1 H}CP-MAS NMR), including the measurement of proton spinelattice relaxation time in t…

Influence of the modification, induced by zirconia nanoparticles, on the structure and properties of polycarbonate

Melt compounding was used to prepare polycarbonate (PC)–zirconia nanocomposites with different amounts of zirconia. The effect of the zirconia loading, in the range of 1–5 wt.%, on the structure, mechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics was investigated. The zirconia nanoparticle aggregates were well dispersed in the PC matrix and induced the appearance of a local lamellar order in the polycarbonate as inferred by SAXS findings. This order could be a consequence of the intermolecular interactions between zirconia and the polymer, in particular with the quaternary carbon bonded to the methyl groups and the methyl carbon as inferred from the NMR results. The presence of zirconia…

Study of morphology, mechanical properties, and thermal degradation of polycarbonate-titania nanocomposites as function of titania crystalline phase and content

Titania nanoparticles were prepared using a sol–gel method and calcination at 2008C and 6008C to obtain anatase and rutile phases, respectively. The obtained powders were used to prepare polycarbonate (PC)-titania nanocomposites by melt compounding. The effect of different crystalline phases and amounts of titania, in the range 1–5 wt%, on the morphology, mechanical properties, and thermal degradation kinetics of PC was investigated. The results show that the filler modified the plasticity or rigidity of the polymer and influenced the degradation kinetics, in different ways depending on the type and amount of titania. POLYM. COMPOS.,

Morphology, mechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of PMMA-zirconia nanocomposites prepared by melt compounding

Zirconia nanoparticles were synthesized by means of a sol-gel method and embedded in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) by melt compounding. The zirconia was well dispersed in the PMMA matrix, with only a few clusters, especially for the highest investigated zirconia content. NMR results showed heteronuclear dipolar interactions involving the carbons and the surrounding hydrogen nuclei. The effect of the amount of zirconia, in the range of 1–5!wt%, on the thermomechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of PMMA was also investigated by means of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The presenc…

Corrigendum to “The effect of silica nanoparticles on the morphology, mechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of PMMA” [Polym Degrad Stab 97 (2012) 452–459]