Effect of silane coupling agent on the properties of Polyacrylate/nano-SiO_2 composite

Polyacrylate/nano-SiO2 composite materials were prepared via sol-gel process and emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization.The properties of polyacrylate/nano-SiO2 composite with different silane coupling agents were studied by Transmission Electron microscopy(TEM),mechanical properties test,differential scanning calorimeters(DSC),thermal gravity analysis(TG) and X-Ray diffraction(XRD).TEM represented that nano-SiO2 of 20nm dispersed evenly in polyacrylate/nano-SiO2 latex particles with the presence of MEMO and VTMO.The tensile strength and elongation at break of nanocomposites with the incorporation of 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane(MEMO) and vinyltrimethoxysilicane(VTMO) increase with the use level of these silane coupling agents.Thermal properties showed that the glass transition temperature(-8.1℃) and thermal decomposition temperature(350℃) of polyacrylate/nano-SiO2 composite with vinyltriethoxysilane(VTEO) are highest.XRD demonstrated that the addition of silane coupling agent decreased the crystal degree of nanocomposite.