Unprecedented Influence of Carbon Dot@TiO₂ Nanohybrid on Multifaceted Attributes of Waterborne Hyperbranched...

Herein, we wish to report fabrication of multifaceted environmentally friendly benign renewable resource-based waterborne hyperbranched polyester nanocomposites using three different doses of carbon dot@TiO₂ nanohybrid through a facile in situ polymerization technique in the absence of solvent or additional catalyst. Carbon dot@TiO₂ nanohybrid was prepared through a greener one-pot hydrothermal process from bio-based raw materials. The nanocomposites were characterized by different instrumental techniques. The thermosets of these nanocomposites are obtained by curing them with glycerol-based hyperbranched epoxy and fatty acid-based poly(amido amine). Enhancements of 6.67 folds tensile strength, 3.8 folds toughness, 1.7 folds Young's modulus, >2.5 units gloss, and 46 °C thermal stability were observed for the thermosets by the formation of nanocomposites. The nanocomposites also showed antifogging and anti-icing properties. More interestingly, they can also be used for efficient separation of crude oil and water from their mixture. Thus, these environmentally benign polymeric materials could find applications in different fields.