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Preparation of poly(butyl methacrylate)/γ‐Al 2 O 3 nanocomposites via ultrasonic irradiation
Author(s) -
Liao Yongqin,
Wang Qi,
Xia Hesheng
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
polymer international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.592
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1097-0126
pISSN - 0959-8103
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0126(200102)50:2<207::aid-pi608>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - materials science , nanocomposite , methacrylate , polymerization , monomer , nanoparticle , chemical engineering , polymer , polymer chemistry , emulsion polymerization , adsorption , pulmonary surfactant , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , chemistry , organic chemistry , nanotechnology , composite material , engineering
A new technique (ultrasonic irradiation) has been employed to prepare poly( n ‐butyl methacrylate) PBMA/γ‐Al 2 O 3 nanocomposites, taking advantages of the multiple effects of ultrasonic irradiation, such as dispersion, pulverization and activation. When subjected to ultrasonic irradiation, n ‐butyl methacrylate (BMA) is polymerized to form poly( n ‐butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) latex without any chemical initiators, and the monomer conversion reaches 72.5% in 25 min. At an appropriate pH, surfactant bilayers are formed through electrostatic interactions between γ‐Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles and the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), which adsorb BMA. After ultrasonic induced polymerization of BMA in the presence of nanoparticles of γ‐Al 2 O 3 , the γ‐Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles are encapsulated by PBMA shells formed. The influence of factors such as pH, surfactant concentration and the nanoparticle content is investigated. The FTIR spectra show that there are still polymers tightly adsorbed by nanoparticles even after extraction by acetone for 72 h. The difference observed in the XPS spectra of nanocomposite residues and the pure γ‐Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles may indicate some interactions between γ‐Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles and the PBMA matrix. Furthermore, the feasibility of SDS bilayer formation and encapsulating polymerization is proven by XPS characterization. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry