Synthesis and characterization of in situ prepared poly (methyl methacrylate) nanocomposites

Hybrid materials, which consist of organic-inorganic materials, are of profound interest owing to their unexpected synergistically derived properties. These hybrid materials replaced the pristine polymers due to their higher strength and stiffness in the recent years. In the present work, studies concerning the preparation of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), PMMA/SiO2, and PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposites are reported. These nanocomposite polymers were synthesized by means of free radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate using benzoyl peroxide as an initiator in a water medium. Further ‘sol-gel’ transformation based hydrolysis and condensation of Ti and Si alkoxides were used to prepare the inorganic phase during the polymerization process of MMA.