0000000000289403

AUTHOR

M. A. Sibeko

Effect of preparation method on the properties of poly(methyl methacrylate)/mesoporous silica composites

The preparation method of a polymer composite and the filler loading are amongst the factors that influence the properties of the final composites. This article studies the effect of these factors on the thermal stability and thermal degradation kinetics of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/mesoporous silica (MCM-41) composites filled with small amounts of MCM-41. The PMMA/MCM-41 composites were prepared through in situ polymerisation and melt mixing methods, with MCM-41 loadings of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 wt.%. The presence of MCM-41 increased the thermal stability of PMMA/MCM-41 composites prepared by melt mixing, but in the case of the in situ polymerised samples, the MCM-41 accelerated the deg…

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Thermomechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC) filled with cerium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Ce:YAG) prepared by melt compounding

This paper reports on the thermomechanical properties and thermal degradation kinetics of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC) composites filled with cerium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Ce:YAG) at different contents ranging between 0.1 and 5 wt%, and prepared by melt compounding. The interaction between PMMA and the filler was much stronger than that between PC and the filler, and this resulted in a significant improvement in the dynamic mechanical properties of the PMMA composites. The presence of filler did not significantly increase the thermal stability of the PC, while an observable increase in the thermal stability was only observed at higher filler loadings for …

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Preparation and characterisation of Ce:YAG -polycarbonate composites for white LED

Ce:YAG-polycarbonate composites were prepared with several amounts of Ce:YAG in the range 0.1-5 wt.% by using melt compounding. The structure and morphology of the composites were investigated by means of X-ray diffractometry and transmission electron microscopy. The optical properties of the composites were studied by using photoluminescence spectroscopy. The intermolecular interaction between the polymer and the filler surface was investigated using 13C cross-polarization magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy (13C {1H} CP-MAS NMR). The results showed that the dispersion of the particles in the polymer, and the optical properties, depend on the Ce:YAG amount. The composites were combined w…

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Morphology and properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) filled with mesoporous silica (MCM-41) prepared by melt compounding

This paper reports on the morphologies of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/mesoporous silica (MCM-41) composites prepared by melt compounding with various MCM-41 contents in the range of 0.1–5 wt%, the interactions between the polymer and filler in these composites, and their thermomechanical, mechanical and thermal degradation properties. The composites formed transparent films at low filler loadings (\0.5 wt%) because of well-dispersed, unagglomerated particles. The presence of polymer did not alter the pore dimensions in the MCM-41 structure and it maintained its hexagonal structure, even though the polymer chains partially penetrated the pores during composite preparation. The PMMA inte…

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Influence of the Ce: YAG amount on structure and optical properties of Ce:YAG-PMMA composites for white LED

Ce:YAG-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composites were prepared by using a melt compounding method, adding several amounts of Ce:YAG in the range 0.1–5wt.%. The optical properties of the obtained composites and of the composites combined with a blue LED were measured to investigate the effect of the amount of Ce:YAG on the resulting emitted light in view of possible application in white LED manufacture. An increase in Ce:YAG amount caused an increase in the emission and a shift of 15 nm, influencing the white LED performance. The structure and morphology of the composites were studied. The results show that the interaction between the two components, observed by using solid state NMR exper…

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Morphology, interfacial interaction, and thermal degradation of polycarbonate/MCM-41 (nano)composites

ABSTRACTThis article reports on the morphology, interfacial interaction, thermal stability, and thermal degradation kinetics of polycarbonate (PC)/mesoporous silica (MCM-41) composites with various MCM-41 contents, prepared by melt compounding. The composites with low filler loadings (<0.3 wt%) maintained their transparency because of the well dispersed MCM-41 particles, but at higher filler loadings the composites lost their transparency due to the presence of agglomerates. The presence of agglomerates decreased the thermal stability of PC due to the reduced effectiveness of the particles to immobilize the polymer chains, free radicals, and volatile degradation products.

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