A Facile Route Towards the Synthesis of Nanocomposites for the Application as Solid Electrolytes via Grafting Polymer from TiO2 Nanoparticles

Abstract

Poly(acrylic acid)/TiO2 (PAA-g-TiO2) nanocomposites were synthesized by the surface thiol-lactam initiated radical polymerization (TLIRP) technique. The synthetic strategy involved the modification of TiO2by a one-step direct anchoring of thiol groups via reaction between the hydroxyl groups on the surface of TiO2 and triethoxysilane groups of (3-mercapto)propyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS). The modified TiO2nanoparticles (NPs) were dispersed in acrylic acid monomers and subsequently polymerized by TLIRP to yield PAA-g-TiO2nanocomposites. FT-IR spectra, XPS, EDS, UV-Vis spectroscopy and SEM images provided direct and clear evidence for the coordination of MPTMS and the presence of PAA on TiO2 NPs. The immobilization of PAA onto TiO2 NPs significantly improved their dispersibility in organic solvents. Additionally, laser diffraction spectroscopy of the TiO2 NPs was examined in order to get the size distribution of nanocomposites.