Synthesis and properties of fluorescent light‐emitting polyamide hybrids with reactive nanosilica by epoxide functionalization

A series of poly(carbazole‐quinoxaline‐amide)s (PCQAs) containing phenyl and long alkyl chain as pendants was synthesized from polycondensation between a new diamine with a synthesized and several commercial dicarboxylic acids using Yamazaki's method. PCQAs had inherent viscosities and weight average molecular weights (M ¯ w ) in the range of 0.48–0.62 dL g −1 and 51,600–58,500 g mol −1 , respectively. These luminescent polymers are readily soluble in a variety of organic solvents and formed low‐colored and tough thin films. In this study, silane modified SiO 2 (mSiO 2 ) nanoparticles were prepared, characterized and used with PCQAs in preparation of nanocomposites via solution blending method. The interfacial interaction strength between mSiO 2 and the polymer–matrix enhanced thermal stability ( T 10% , from 463°C to 500°C) and mechanical strength (from 100 MPa to 150 MPa) for composite containing 30 wt % mSiO 2 in comparison with the pure polyamide. These materials showed good ability for extraction–elimination of metal ions such as Cr 6+ , Cr 3+ , Co 2+ , Zn 2+ , Pb 2+ , Cd 2+ , and Hg 2+ from aqueous solutions either individually or in the mixture at various pH. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131 , 40219.