Abstract
Montmorillonite (MMT) displays excellent cohesion with an unsaturated polyester (UP) matrix to generate a material which exhibits an extensive range of commercial applications. The organic modification of MMT using polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) and the effect of POSS-MMT on the thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of UP are reported here. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images were used to characterize the modification of MMT using POSS. Modified MMT (POSS-MMT) was incorporated, at different wt.% (0.5, 1, 3, 5), into UP via in-situ polymerization. The presence of POSS-MMT enhanced the characteristic properties of UP as a consequence of good dispersion in the polymer matrix. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images support effective POSS-MMT dispersion leading to tensile strength enhancement of a UP/POSS-MMT nanocomposite (3 wt.% POSS-MMT) by 54.7% as compared to that for unmodified UP. TGA displays a 35 °C improvement of thermal stability (10% mass loss) at 5% POSS-MMT incorporation, while the electrical conductivity is improved by 108 S/m (3 wt.% POSS-MMT) in comparison to that for unmodified UP. The conventional obstacle of UP associated with shrinkage weight loss during curing seems to be moderated with POSS-MMT incorporation (3%) resulting in a 27.8% reduction in shrinkage weight loss. These fabricated nanocomposites expand the versatility of UP as a high-performance material owing to enhancements of properties.
Highlights
The attractive influence of clay polymer nanocomposites has been quite imminent in recent years
Our study focuses on the construction of a hierarchical network of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS)-MMT by organically modifying MMT using aminopropyl isobutyl POSS
Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) was carried out on JEM-2010 (JEOL, Tokyo, Japan) with an POSS was substantiated in this analysis
Summary
The attractive influence of clay polymer nanocomposites has been quite imminent in recent years. A prerequisite arises to organically modify the MMT (OMMT) prior to its interaction within the polymer matrix [15] This arranges the affinity of MMT to exfoliate in the polymer with thorough dispersion. Recent reports have inferred the role of POSS as a nanofiller reinforcement in enhancing the thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of the polymer [24,25,26,27,28,29]. The thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of the as-prepared nanocomposites are evaluated to examine the influence of POSS-MMT in property enhancement Another authoritative aspect during the fabrication of UP-based nanocomposites is the manifestation of shrinkage weight loss during the curing process due to free radical polymerization [36]. It validated the route towards the construction of UP-based nanocomposites with a facile polymer processing technique, minimum shrinkage weight loss, and minimal addition of nanofillers, thereby boosting the versatility of UP in industrial applications
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