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Published on: March 12, 2014
Solvent-Free One-Pot Synthesis of Epoxy Nanocomposites Containing Mg(OH)2 Nanocrystal-Nanoparticle Formation
Francesco Branda1, Jessica Passaro1, Robin Pauer2
1Department of Chemical Materials and Industrial Production Engineering (DICMaPI), University of Naples Federico II, 80125 Naples, Italy.
Abstract:
Epoxy nanocomposites containing Mg(OH)2 nanocrystals (MgNCs, 5.3 wt %) were produced via an eco-friendly "solvent-free one-pot" process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) confirm the presence of well-dispersed MgNCs. HRTEM reveals the presence also of multisheet-silica-based nanoparticles and a tendency of MgNCs to intergrow, leading to complex nanometric structures with an intersheet size of ∼0.43 nm, which is in agreement with the lattice spacing of the Mg(OH)2 (001) planes. The synthesis of MgNCs was designed on the basis of a mechanism initially proposed for the preparation of multisheet-silica-based/epoxy nanocomposites. The successful "in situ" generation of MgNCs in the epoxy via a "solvent-free one-pot" process confirms the validity of the earlier disclosed mechanism and thus opens up possibilities of new NCs with different fillers and polymer matrix. The condition would be the availability of a nanoparticle precursor soluble in the hydrophobic resin, giving the desired phase through hydrolysis and polycondensation.
