Premium
Physical properties of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes–cycloolefin copolymer nanocomposites
Author(s) -
Dorigato Andrea,
Pegoretti Alessandro,
Migliaresi Claudio
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.30593
Subject(s) - materials science , differential scanning calorimetry , thermogravimetric analysis , dynamic mechanical analysis , glass transition , nanocomposite , composite material , copolymer , polymer , thermal decomposition , nanoparticle , contact angle , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , chemistry , organic chemistry , nanotechnology , physics , engineering , thermodynamics
Abstract Properties of cycloolefin copolymer (COC)–polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes ( POSS) nanocomposites, prepared by melt compounding, have been investigated. Composites retained the optical transparency of the matrix up to a nanofiller content of 5 wt %. whereas for higher percentages the formation of a crystalline phase, due to the presence of agglomerated nanoparticles, was revealed by X‐Ray diffraction (XRD). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) evidenced a significant decrease of the glass transition temperature ( T g ) and of the thermal decomposition rate, with the POSS content. Similarly, at increasing filler content, both quasi‐static tensile tests in the solid state and rheological measurements on melts showed a decrease of measured parameters (elastic modulus, ultimate elongation, loss and storage shear modulus, viscosity). These results were attributed to the formation of a soft interphase at the nanoparticles/polymer boundary due to the presence of isobutylic groups on POSS nanoparticles that limited the stress transfer process and acted in the COC matrix as a molecular lubricant agent. A small increase of the receding contact angle with the nanofiller content was also detected from dynamic contact angle (DCA) measurements. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009