Abstract
Organic/Inorganic hybrid materials have been attracting much attention since they combine the advantages of inorganic materials with the properties of organic polymers. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2) present good thermal stability, accessibility and catalytic properties. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a bi-ocompatible and bioresorbable material, which is being examined as biode-gradable packaging materials, controlled drug release carriers and other medical applications. Hybrids based on PCL containing different amounts of titanium dioxide nanoparticles, ranging from 0.05% to 0.35% w/w, were prepared using the solution cast method. These systems were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The FTIR analysis confirmed that there was an interaction between the PCL chains and the TiO2 nanoparticles. The XRD and DSC analysis showed that the PCL crystallization was affected by TiO2 incorporation, modifying its semi-crystalline structure to a less ordered structure. When TiO2 nanoparticles were added the values of T1H and T1ρH increased for all hybrids, therefore, their addition produced a new material with less molecular mobility. In the TG analysis, it was observed that the introduction of TiO2 nanoparticles decreased the thermal resistance of PCL. In DSC analysis, the PCL/TiO2 hybrids presented a reduction in the crystallization temperature and degree of crystallinity, except for PCL hybrids containing 0.15% w/w of TiO2 nanoparticles.
Highlights
The combination of organic and inorganic structures within a single material at nanoscopic level is one of the most effective approaches for producing new class of hybrids materials with advanced properties
The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis confirmed that there was an interaction between the PCL chains and the TiO2 nanoparticles
In differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, the PCL/TiO2 hybrids presented a reduction in the crystallization temperature and degree of crystallinity, except for PCL hybrids containing 0.15% w/w of TiO2 nanoparticles
Summary
The combination of organic and inorganic structures within a single material at nanoscopic level is one of the most effective approaches for producing new class of hybrids materials with advanced properties. The scale of the mixture or the degree of homogeneity may influence the properties of the hybrids, especially when the mixture of the components is adequately achieved on the nanometer scale These new systems require a detailed characterization of their structure and molecular dynamics, as these factors influence the behavior, properties and stability of these new materials. There are some limitations, as the cost of equipment, both of the components must be in the molten state and the large difference in the melt viscosity of the components difficult the mix [14] In this context, the present study had two main objectives the first one was to prepare PCL/TiO2 hybrids through the cast solution method, to produce a good system at the molecular level. The other objective was to use nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry (NMR-relaxometry) to evaluate the molecular dynamic of the samples and to understand the behavior of the new material
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