Synthesis of Macroporous PMMA/Silica Nanocomposite Monoliths in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

✍ Scribed by Baohua Yue; Jun Yang; Chien-Yueh Huang; Rajesh Dave; Robert Pfeffer

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 293 KB
• Volume: 26
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1022-1336
• DOI: 10.1002/marc.200500239

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Summary: Macroporous monoliths consisting of silica nanoparticles embedded in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were synthesized in supercritical CO~2~. Well‐dispersed silica particles, pretreated with functional 3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MPS), were to form colloidal PMMA nanocomposites followed by a sol‐gel transition forming interconnected structures resulting in micron‐sized pores with specific areas between 1 and 7 m^2^ · g^−1^. SEM and TEM results revealed uniform morphological characteristics of the composite materials and good dispersions of the silica nanoparticles.

SEM micrograph of PMMA/Silica nanocomposites forming interconnected macroporous monolith. The average size of the silica particles is 50 nm.

imageSEM micrograph of PMMA/Silica nanocomposites forming interconnected macroporous monolith. The average size of the silica particles is 50 nm.