Effect of silica nanoparticles reinforcement on the properties of foams from high internal phase emulsion polymerizations

Polymerized high internal phase emulsion (polyHIPE) filled with silica nanoparticles has been successfully prepared. The effect of silica nanoparticles weight fraction (1%, 3%, 5% and 10%) on the mechanical properties of a polyHIPE nanocomposite was studied. The anocomposite was produced by dispersion of 12 nm silica particles in the continous phase of the emulsion by ultrasonication. ethacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane was added to the polymer matrix as a silane coupling agent in order to introduce the linkage between silica nanoparticles and polymer network, consequently to make certain that the silica particles were covalently incorporated into the polymer network. Stress-strain curves were plotted and have demonstrated that Young’s modulus as well as crush strength increased with raising weight fraction of silica nanoparticles. The Young’s modulus of silica reinforced foams increased by 178% and the crush strength by 225% in comparison to foams without reinforcement.

Keywords:

polyHIPE , nanocomposite , silica nanoparticles , Young’s modulus