Organic-inorganic hybrid membranes prepared from the sol-gel process of poly (butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate) and TiO{sub}2

摘要

Organic-inorganic hybrids based on poly(butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate)/titanium dioxide (PBAT/TiO{sub}2) hybrid membranes were prepared via a sol-gel process. The PBAT/TiO{sub}2 hybrid membranes were prepared for various PBAT/ TiO{sub}2 ratios. The resulting hybrids were characterized with a morphological structure, hydrophilicity, biodegradability, and thermal properties. The results showed that macrovoids underwent a transition into a sponge-like membrane structure with the addition of TiO{sub}2. After sol-gel transition, a strong interaction between the inorganic network and polymeric chains led to an increase in glass transition temperature (T{sub}g), thermal degrading temperature, and hydrophilicity, and hence a higher biodegradability. According to X-ray diffraction measurements of the crystal structure of the hybrid, the presence of TiO{sub}2 did not change the crystal structure of PBAT. TiO{sub}2 networks are uniformly dispersed into the PBAT matrix and no aggregation of TiO{sub}2 networks in the hybrid membranes was observed through the small angle X-ray scattering measurements. Thus, the sol-gel process of PBAT and TiO{sub}2 can be used to prepare a hybrid with higher application temperature and faster biodegradation rate.