Carboxyl-containing polyarylene ether nitrile/Fe3 O4 hybrids and their effects on the PEN composites

Abstract

In this study, the novel polyarylene ether nitrile containing carboxyl groups (CPEN)/Fe3O4 hybrids were synthesized via the solvent-thermal route. The SEM and TEM images showed that the surface of functionalized Fe3O4 hybrids (CPEN-f-Fe3O4) became rough and coated with a thin polymer layer successfully. Chemical bonds were formed between the carboxyl groups and Fe3O4 spheres, which were characterized by FTIR and XRD. Series of PEN composite films were prepared through solution-casting method with different contents of CPEN-f-Fe3O4 hybrids and raw Fe3O4 spheres. The SEM images showed that the CPEN-f-Fe3O4 hybrids became much more dispersible and compatible in PEN matrix than that of raw Fe3O4 spheres, which was further confirmed by rheological study. The magnetic analysis showed that the saturation magnetization of composites films increased with the increase of CPEN-f-Fe3O4 hybrids loading content. The results of thermogravimetric and mechanical study exhibited that the composite films had good thermal stability and mechanical property. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1325–1334, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers