The Effect of AlI3 Nanoadditive on the Thermal Behavior of PMMA Subjected to Thermoanalytical Py-GC-MS Technique

Muhammad Adnan; Taj Ur Rahman; Ali Bahadur; Muhammad Aurang Zeb; Wajiha Liaqat; Takashiro Akitsu; Shams H Abdel-Hafez; Wael A El-Sayed

doi:10.3390/ma14227036

The Effect of AlI₃ Nanoadditive on the Thermal Behavior of PMMA Subjected to Thermoanalytical Py-GC-MS Technique

Materials (Basel). 2021 Nov 19;14(22):7036. doi: 10.3390/ma14227036.

Authors

Muhammad Adnan¹, Taj Ur Rahman¹, Ali Bahadur², Muhammad Aurang Zeb¹, Wajiha Liaqat¹, Takashiro Akitsu³, Shams H Abdel-Hafez⁴, Wael A El-Sayed⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University, Nerian Sharif 12080, AJ&K, Pakistan.
² Department of Transdisciplinary Studies, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
³ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science Division II, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Qassim University, Buraidah 51452, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Thermal degradation of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) was studied by using inorganic salt of aluminum triiodide (AlI₃). The composites of PMMA were prepared with AlI₃ by changing the concentration of the AlI₃ additive from 2% to 10% (w/w). The PMMA composites with AlI₃ were characterized by TGA, DTG, SEM, FTIR, HBT, and Py-GC-MS techniques. The FTIR peaks of PMMA composite at 1316, 786, and 693 cm^-1 justify the chemical association between PMMA and AlI₃. TGA study shows that the stability of PMMA is enhanced by the addition of the AlI₃ additive. SEM analysis represented that there is a relationship between polymer and additive when they are mixed at the molecular level. The horizontal burning test (HBT) also confirmed that the AlI₃ additive produced the flame retarding properties in PMMA polymer. The burning rate of composite with 10% of AlI₃ additive decreases five times as much as compared to pure PMMA polymer. Py-GC-MS analysis deduced that PMMA composite produced less toxic and environment-friendly substances (CO₂) by the influence of AlI₃ additive as compared to neat PMMA.

Keywords: PMMA; aluminum triiodide; degradation; thermoanalytical study.