In situ synthesis, morphology and magnetic properties of poly(ether-ester) multiblock copolymer/carbon-covered nickel nanosystems

Samples containing fine particles of face-centered cubic (fcc) phase of carbon-covered nickel (Ni/C) embedded in the PBT-block-PTMO polymer were synthesized. The characterization of the composites by various techniques and the effect of the Ni/C filler on the thermal and mechanical properties of the polymer are presented. A low concentration of magnetic nanoparticles in the polymer increased substantially the melting point and the polymer-glass transition temperature. Additionally, the elastic properties of the polymer were shown to improve significantly due to the presence of nanoparticles. The ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) study of these samples was carried out in the 4-300 K temperature range. A symmetrical and very intense FMR line was recorded at all temperatures. The FMR line displayed very interesting behavior in different temperature regions. The static magnetic susceptibility was investigated in the 10-400 K temperature and 1-10 kOe magnetic field ranges. The temperature dependence in the high temperature range suggested that the process of reorientation of magnetic nanoparticles strongly depended on the state of the matrix. A comparison of the mechanical properties of our samples with the same copolymer doped with single wall carbon nanotubes was made. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.