Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-2015

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Chemistry

Major Professor

Mike Kilbey

Committee Members

Jimmy Mays, Ampofo Darko

Abstract

The mechanical and physical properties of polymeric materials can be greatly improved by adding nanoscale additives. To mediate the dispersion of nanoparticles in polymers, it is often necessary to modify their surfaces to prevent aggregation. While polymer nanocomposites system consisting of homopolymer-grafted nanoparticles are well understood, copolymer-functionalized nanoparticles are less well understood but provide additional ways to alter dispersion through the use of chemically different comonomers. In this thesis, polystyrene nanocomposites blended with copolymer-grafted nanoparticles were prepared and studied. The particular comonomers used were methyl methacrylate and cyclohexyl methacrylate, which provides miscibility with polystyrene. Polymers with varying comonomer ratios were synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization and grafted onto silica nanoparticle surfaces. The functionalized particles were then dispersed into polystyrene to make polymer nanocomposites. The resulting materials were characterized by differential scanning calorimeter and atomic force microscopy and the role of the grafted polymer composition on the glass transition temperature of the nanocomposites and the dispersion state of the nanoparticles was examined. These results provide preliminary insight into how random copolymers can affect polymer nanocomposite structure and properties.

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