Applications of ultrasound for modification of zinc oxide and fabrication of optically active poly(amide-imide)/zinc oxide bionanocomposites

Abstract

This research investigates applying zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) as inorganic nanofillers to poly(amide-imide) (PAI) as a polymer matrix via ultrasound technique for the preparation of PAI/ZnO bionanocomposites (BNCs). The surface of ZnO NPs was successfully treated with γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane coupling agent (KH570) to decrease the hydrophilicity of NPs. The optically active PAI containing natural L-leucine amino acid was synthesized in a green solvent system which is consisted of tetrabutyl ammonium bromide/triphenyl phosphate. The influences of the ZnO on the structure, morphology, thermal, and optical properties of BNCs were, respectively, characterized by several techniques. All the results indicate that NPs are successfully modified and are compatible with polymer matrix and also proved that there is a homogenous dispersion of ZnO NPs in the polymer matrix in nanoscale.