Abstract
Hybrid poly(ether-urethane)acrylate (PEUA)/titania (TiO2) microcomposites were prepared using a novel method that includes a swelling of different photo-crosslinked PEUA networks in concentrated tetraisopropoxytitanate (Ti(OiC3H7)4 or TIPT) precursor solution in organic media followed by the hydrolysis of covalently bonded polyalkoxyti- tanate ((-OTi(OC3H7)2-)n) chains and their aggregation to amorphous micro- and nano-scale sized TiO2 particles. A forma- tion of polymer/titania hybrids was confirmed by complex investigations of the hybrids using infrared (IR) spectroscopy, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and gravimetry. The dependence of titania phase formation behavior versus functionality of the poly(ether-urethane)acrylate network was discussed. The pres- ence of reactive groups in the organic network promotes the formation of surface-bonded ball-shaped type TiO2 inclusions as well as provides transparency to the hybrid film samples. The results obtained in this work can be applied for the devel- opment of polymer/TiO2 composite materials for multipurpose optical application and advanced sealants.
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