Thermal and mechanical properties of polymethyl mathacrylate reinforced by polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane

A series of Inorganic/organic nanocomposites were prepared by blending cage-like carboxyl-bearing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (carboxyl-POSS) with polymethyl mathacrylate (PMMA) in THF solvent. FTIR and (29)Si-NMR were employed to characterize the structures of the nanocomposites. SEM images showed that the as-prepared films were smooth and no aggregation of carboxyl-POSS was observed. TGA and DSC results showed that the incorporation of small amount of nanosize carboxyl-POSS enhanced the thermal stability of PMMA. When 1.0 wt% of carboxyl-POSS was incorporated into PMMA matrix, the T(g) and T(d) increased by 16.9 degrees C and 21.0 degrees C, respectively. However, higher POSS contents (> 1.0 wt%) would deteriorate the thermal and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites.