The Effect of Nano Silica on the Thermal Properties of Acrylic Resins

study the effect of nano silica on the thermal properties of acrylic resins, two different series of water-based acrylic resin has been prepared. The first one is the acrylic latex synthesized by emulsion copolymerization and the second is acrylate/ silica nanocomposite synthesizied via miniemulsion copolymerization. The nanocomposite resins with the well dispersion of nano silica in the polymeric particles show higher abrasion and heat resistance. According to the TGA results, decomposition temperature of the nanocomposites increased with respect to the pure acrylic resins. For the washed nanocomposite latex prepared via miniemulsion polymerization, the residual weight after 600° C in the TGA was more than 7% while for the pure acrylic resin it was less than 1%. On the other hand, the glass transition temperature of the nanocomposite (Tg= 26°C) is higher than that of the pure acrylic latex (Tg = 13°C). Higher abrasion resistance and hardness resulted from the presence of the nano silica in the structure of acrylic resins.

Keywords:

Nano-silica , Thermal properties , Acrylic resins