Abstract
Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) is one of the most versatile techniques to modify the surface properties of materials. Recent developed metal-free SI-ATRP makes such techniques more widely applicable. Herein photo-induced metal-free SI-ATRP of methacrylates, such as methyl methacrylate, N-isopropanyl acrylamide, and N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, on the surface of SBA-15 was reported to fabricate organic-inorganic hybrid materials. A SBA-15-based polymeric composite with an adjustable graft ratio was obtained. The structure evolution during the SI-ATRP modification of SBA-15 was monitored and verified by FT-IR, XPS, TGA, BET, and TEM. The obtained polymeric composite showed enhanced adsorption ability for the model compound toluene in aqueous conditions. This procedure provides a low-cost, readily available, and easy modification method to synthesize polymeric composites without the contamination of metal.
Highlights
Organic-inorganic composites based on the functionalization of mesoporous silica materials such as MCM-n, HMS-n, and SBA-n have attracted a great deal of research interest in the past decades [1,2,3,4,5,6].Among them, SBA-15 was one of the most widely used ordered mesoporous materials for such functionalization due to its many attractive properties, such as high hydrothermal stability, desired morphology, adjustable pore sizes (2–30 nm), and thick walls
“grafting from” based on surface-initiated polymerizations is considered one of the powerful tools [9,10]. Significant advances in this area have been achieved by the development of living radical polymerization techniques, especially nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP) [11,12], Polymers 2017, 9, 58; doi:10.3390/polym9020058
In order to carry out Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP)) on the surface of SBA-15, the initiator moiety was firstly anchored onto the surface of the material
Summary
Organic-inorganic composites based on the functionalization of mesoporous silica materials such as MCM-n, HMS-n, and SBA-n have attracted a great deal of research interest in the past decades [1,2,3,4,5,6].Among them, SBA-15 was one of the most widely used ordered mesoporous materials for such functionalization due to its many attractive properties, such as high hydrothermal stability, desired morphology, adjustable pore sizes (2–30 nm), and thick walls. A polymer with versatile organic groups was considered as the most efficient way to introduce different functional groups on the surface of such silica materials. To covalently attach polymer chains on the surface of materials, the technique of so-called “grafting from” based on surface-initiated polymerizations is considered one of the powerful tools [9,10]. Significant advances in this area have been achieved by the development of living radical polymerization techniques, especially nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP) [11,12], Polymers 2017, 9, 58; doi:10.3390/polym9020058 www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers
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