Abstract
Organic-inorganic hybrids based on poly(ethyl methacrylate) and Sn-POSS nano-building blocks were prepared via radical polymerization of ethyl methacrylate, in which Sn-POSS was dissolved. Sn-POSS was incorporated as non-functional or as bis(acrylamido)-functional unit, at the concentrations of 0.5-10 wt%. Both Sn-POSS cage types were shown to prevent the oxidative degradation of the matrix modulus, without causing an excessive crosslinking even at the highest Sn-POSS concentration. A very marked effect is, that the Sn-cages cause the preservation of the impact toughness of the poly(ethyl methacrylate)/Sn-POSS hybrids, if the latter are subjected to oxidation, while the impact toughness of the neat matrix decreases by one order after the same treatment. The effect of the Sn-POSS cages can be explained by radical reactions, in which the cages reconnect matrix chains previously interrupted by oxidative scission. The Sn-POSS thus practically causes a "reconstruction" of the interrupted linear chains. The process is already very efficient between 0.5 and 1 wt% of Sn-POSS.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 366-378 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | European Polymer Journal |
| Volume | 68 |
| Early online date | 23 Apr 2015 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 1 Jul 2015 |
Funding
After developing a high-yield synthesis route to Sn-POSS [36,41] , Ribot et al. reported the first syntheses of organic–inorganic hybrids with this nano-building block [42–44] . Recently, the authors of this work prepared and investigated epoxy/Sn-POSS hybrids [39,40,45,46] , in which Sn-POSS displayed a distinct anti-oxidative effect, even at very low concentrations. The chemical effect of Sn-POSS was supported by the high radical reactivity of the polypropylene oxide segments of the epoxy matrix.
Keywords
- POSS
- Stannoxane
- Organic–inorganic hybrid
- Methacrylate