Preparation and Characterization of Hybrid Nanocomposites Containing Polyethylene Oxide Segments and SiO2 Through a Dual-curing Process

Abstract

Hybrid organic–inorganic nanocomposites containing SiO2 and polyethylene oxide (PEO) segments linked to an epoxy acrylate (EA) network were prepared through a dual-cure process involving photopolymerization and subsequent condensation of alkoxysilane groups using 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane-terminated PEO (PEO-[Si(OC2H5)3]2) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as precursors, 3-methacryloxypropy ltrimethoxysilane (MEMO) as coupling agent, and EA as prepolymer. The chemical structures of the products were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) showed that the in situ generated nano-SiO2 dispersed uniformly in the EA matrix and the organic and inorganic phase interacted strongly. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and mechanical properties results indicated that the glass transition temperature (Tg) and the impact strength of the hybrid nanocomposites increased simultaneously with inc...