Synthesis and characterization of poly(methyl methacrylate-butyl acrylate)/nano-titanium oxide composite particles

Poly(methyl methacrylate-butyl acrylate) [P(MMA-BA)]/nanosized titanium oxide (nano-TiO2) composite particles were prepared via insitu emulsion polymerization of MMA and BA in presence of nano-TiO2 particles. Before polymerization, the nano-TiO2 particles were modified by coupling agent. The structure and thermal properties of the obtained P(MMA-BA)/nano-TiO2 composite particles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that there are covalent bond bindings between P(MMA-BA) and nano-TiO2 particles, meaning that P(MMA-BA) and nano-TiO2 particles were not simply blended or mixed up and that there is a strong interaction between P(MMA-BA) and nano-TiO2 particles. TGA and DSC measurements indicated an enhancement of thermal stability. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results showed that P(MMA-BA) enhanced the dispersibility of nano-TiO2 particles. The dispersion stabilization of modified nano-TiO2 particles in aqueous system was significantly improved due to the introduction of grafted polymer on the surface of nano-particles.