Abstract
The influence of ZnO nanoparticles on the thermal degradation behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was tested using thermoanalytical techniques. The studied materials were investigated using TG, DTA, EGA, XRD, SEM and TEM. The ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized via precipitation by adding LiOH into Zn2+ water/ethylene glycol solutions. The ZnO-PMMA nanocomposites were prepared by adding the appropriate amount of ZnO into MMA and subsequent MMA radical polymerization. According to the experimental results and model-free isoconversional activation energy calculations, the addition of ZnO into PMMA played a double role. The ZnO concentrations up to 0.15% stabilized the composite by shifting the degradation interval toward higher temperatures and increasing the apparent activation energy relative to pure PMMA. At higher concentrations, the catalytic effect of ZnO started to prevail and was reflected in the lower temperature intervals of intense PMMA degradation and lower apparent activation energy. The addition of ZnO generally did not change the nature of the PMMA decomposition process.
Highlights
The potential of using nanometer-scale inorganic particles in a polymer matrix has recently been extensively investigated in several applications, e.g. civil and electrical engineering, building and transportation
Among the papers published about this subject, it appears that the majority of the work performed concerns composites of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and oxide ceramic filler.[6,7,8]
Since few research reports focused on thermal behavior of ZnO-PMMA composites, the aim of this work was to demonstrate the catalytic effect of ZnO nanoparticles in the path of PMMA thermal degradation
Summary
The potential of using nanometer-scale inorganic particles in a polymer matrix has recently been extensively investigated in several applications, e.g. civil and electrical engineering, building and transportation Such composites offer the potential to create new materials with improved thermal, electrical, mechanical, optical and fire-resistant properties, which arise from the synergies between the components.[1,2,3,4,5] Among the papers published about this subject, it appears that the majority of the work performed concerns composites of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and oxide ceramic filler.[6,7,8] PMMA is an optically clear amorphous thermoplastic. All volatile products are evolved continuously throughout the degradation path and their relative intensities are in accordance with the DTG curve
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