New Epoxy Poly(dimethyl acrylamide) Polymer for the Dispersion of ZnO Nanoparticles

Abstract

A series of novel Zinc Oxide (ZnO) copolymer composites films with different Zinc Oxide concentration were prepared through incorporation of pre-made Zinc Oxide particle in to copolymer epoxy poly(dimethyl acrylamide). The copolymer epoxy poly(dimethyl acrylamide) was synthesized by free radical polymerization to disperse the Zinc Oxide nanoparticles. The Zinc Oxide nanoparticles with the diameter of 19 nm–35 nm were synthesized from zinc nitrate via a wet chemical method. The aim of the work is to develop a new method/process/material for the dispersion of Zinc Oxide nanoparticles and testing the performance of these composites films. Thermo gravimetric analysis show that Zinc Oxide nanoparticles were successfully incorporated into the polymer matrix and the Zinc Oxide copolymer composites have a good thermal stability. The micro structural analysis also show newly synthesized polymer disperse the nanoparticles well as evidenced by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis. The uniformly dispersed Zinc Oxide nanoparticle in the polymer matrix and the particles almost remained in their original shape and size even after incorporation in the polymer matrix. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) shift of the copolymer adsorbed Zinc Oxide nanoparticles confirmed that polymer molecules chain was anchored on the surface of the nanoparticles.