Relaxation processes in hybrid organic-inorganic polymer nanosystems polymerized in situ

Nanoscale Res Lett. 2014 May 7;9(1):217. doi: 10.1186/1556-276X-9-217. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

The relaxation processes of hybrid organic-inorganic polymer nanosystems (OIS) synthesized by joint polymerization of organic and inorganic components were studied using methods of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), and broadband dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS). The organic component was a mixture of two products: high-molecular-weight macrodiisocyanate (MDI) with low reactivity and low-molecular-weight isocyanate-containing modifier poly(isocyanate) (PIC) with high reactivity. Sodium silicate (SS) was used as inorganic component. The structures of the OIS obtained were in the form of hybrids with covalently connected building blocks and interpenetrating networks: weakly cross-linked network MDI/SS and highly cross-linked network PIC/SS. Depending on the MDI/PIC ratio, one of the networks was prevailing and created a continuous structure with domains of second network.

Pacs: 61.25.hk; 82.35.Lr; 64.70.pj.

Keywords: Hybrid polymers; Interpenetrating networks; Joint polymerization; Organic-inorganic nanosystems; Relaxation phenomena.