Dynamic mechanical analysis and morphology of nanostructured acrylic coatings

摘要

The addition of nanoparticles into polymeric materials has changed dramatically the properties of the host polymers, promising a novel class of composite materials with different properties and added functionalities. This research focuses on the influence of inorganic nanospheres particles such as SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, TiO2 and nanoplatelets, such as Bentonite nanoclay, on the thermo-mechanical properties of a polyacrylic latex (utilized in commercial coatings). The analysis of the thermal and mechanical properties showed a decrease of Young's modulus and glass transition temperature T_g in the presence of spherical nanoparticles. However, there was an increase of these properties in the presence of nanoplatelets (Bentonite), as demonstrated by the dynamic mechanical analysis and uniaxial tensile analysis. Moreover, water contact angle measurements demonstrated significant increase in hydrophobic behavior when incorporating nanosphere particles as compared to nanoplatelets. These results showed that the metallic oxides nanoparticles greatly influenced the physical and mechanical properties of the neat polyacrylic matrix.