Covalent Incorporation of SiO2 Nanoparticles in CO2-Based Copolymers: Synthesis, Characterization, Morphology and...

A new strategy has been developed for covalent incorporation of SiO2 nanoparticles (N-'s) in the CO2-based copolymer, poly(propylene carbonate-co-propylene oxide) (poly(PC-co-PO)). The poly(PC-co-PO)-g-SiO2 nanocomposites was prepared by the combination of epoxy-CO2 ring-opening polymerization and the condensation reaction of chloride and hydroxyl groups of the polymer and the SiO2 surface. FT-IR and NMR were employed for the characterization of the copolymers as well as nanocomposites. A uniform and spherical core-shell structure of poly(PC-co-PO)-g-SiO2 nanocomposites was demonstrated from TEM and SEM images. An improved thermal property of the polymer matrix with incorporating SiO2 nanoparticles was revealed by TGA study. The grafting of poly(PC-co-PO) considerably prevented the aggregation and improved the dispersibility of SiO2 nanoparticles in toluene.