Study of Relationship between Morphology and Mechanical Properties of SiO_2-Polyacrylate Hybrid Nanocomposite

摘要

The atomic force microscopic technique is utilized to study the spatial distribution of silica nanoparticles embedded in poly(tetraethylene glycol diacrylate)matrix.The cast samples of these hybrid materials show distinct mechanical property change as the weight ratio(SiO_2/polyacrylate)reaches 40%.The morphological observation from spin-coated films on silicon substrates shows pronounced nanoparticle network formation correlated to the elasticity transition.The percolating particles reduce the local strain field,i.e.inhibit the deformation of the stratum,and cause the dramatic increase in the Young's modulus.Our experimental result is consistent with recent theoretical prediction [1].