Incorporation of silver/carbon nanoparticles into poly(methyl methacrylate) via in situ miniemulsion polymerization and its influence on the glass-transition temperature

• Published in: Journal of polymer science. Part B, Polymer physics Polymer physics, 2007-03, Vol.45 (5), p.511-518
• Main Authors: López-Martínez, Erika I., Márquez-Lucero, Alfredo, Hernández-Escobar, Claudia A., Flores-Gallardo, Sergio G., Ibarra-Gómez, Rigoberto, Yacamán, Miguel J., Zaragoza-Contreras, E. Armando
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; carbon nanoparticles; colloids; Composites; emulsion polymerization; Exact sciences and technology; Forms of application and semi-finished materials; glass transition; miniemulsion polymerization; nanocomposites; nanoparticles; Polymer industry, paints, wood; Technology of polymers
• ISSN: 0887-6266; 1099-0488
• DOI: 10.1002/polb.21054

Silver/carbon nanoparticles (9 nm) were incorporated, as reinforcements, into a matrix of poly(methyl methacrylate) via in situ miniemulsion polymerization. It was found by differential scanning calorimetry that the glass‐transition temperature of the poly(methyl methacrylate) showed an improvement of 14 °C with only 0.5 wt % nanoparticles in comparison with a pure poly(methyl methacrylate) control, which was also obtained by miniemulsion polymerization under the same conditions. This increase was related to a polymer chain mobility restriction due to a combination of bound plastic and joint plastic shell effects at the interphase and the surrounding regions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 511–518, 2007.