Study of thermal stability of (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxy silane-grafted titanate nanotubes for application as nanofillers in polymers

Milivoj Plodinec, Andreja Gajović, Damir Iveković, Nenad Tomašić, Boris Zimmermann, Jelena Macan, Tatjana Haramina, D S Su, Marc Willinger
2014 Nanotechnology  
Protonated titanate nanotubes (TiNT-H) were surface-modified with (3aminopropyl)trimethoxy silane (APTMS) by novel method suitable for syntheses of large amounts of materials with low costs. Usage of prepared nanotubes for polymer reinforcement was studied. Since the thermal stability of nanofiller was important to preserve their functional properties, stability was studied by in situ high temperature measurements. The most thermally stable nanotubes, silanized for 20 min, were used for
more » ... ion of epoxy-based nanocomposites. The nanofiller formed smaller (few hundreds of nm) and larger (few μm) aggregates in polymer matrix, and the amount of aggregates increased with increasing nanofiller content. APTMS modified titanate nanotubes bonded well with the epoxy matrix since amine groups on the TiNTs surface can react with epoxy group to form covalent bonds between the matrix and the nanofiller. Very small addition (0.19 -1.52 wt%) of nanotubes significantly increased the glass transition temperature and the modulus in rubbery state of the epoxy based polymer. Smaller nanofiller content lead to larger increase in these parameters and therefore better dynamic mechanical properties due to the smaller amount of large aggregates. APTMS-modified titanate nanotubes were proven as promising nanofiller in epoxy based nanocomposites.
doi:10.1088/0957-4484/25/43/435601 pmid:25288351 fatcat:h34rvgdzf5gjbkhb7zjm5bbs4y