Polymer-silica nanocomposites prepared by sol-gel technique: Nanoindentation and tapping mode AFM studies

José Carlos Rodríguez Hernández, Manuel Salmerón Sánchez, José Luís Gómez Ribelles, Manuel Monleón Pradas

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Polymer-silica nanocomposites based on poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) (PHEA) have been prepared by the simultaneous polymerization of the organic and the silica phases in a sol-gel process with the silica precursor tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). The structure of this system is investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) in the tapping mode and in nanoindentation experiments. The structure of the PHEA/silica hybrids strongly depends on the ratio of both components in the system. For silica weight fractions lower than 0.15, the system consists of aggregated silica particles dispersed in the organic matrix; above that concentration of silica the structure is co-continuous with that of the organic matrix, similarly to two interpenetrated networks.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2775-2783
Number of pages9
JournalEuropean Polymer Journal
Volume43
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2007

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Physics and Astronomy(all)
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Materials Chemistry

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