A Facile Route Towards the Synthesis of Nanocomposites for the Application as Solid Electrolytes via Grafting Polymer from TiO₂ Nanoparticles

Abstract

Poly(acrylic acid)/TiO₂ (PAA-g-TiO₂) nanocomposites were synthesized by the surface thiol-lactam initiated radical polymerization (TLIRP) technique. The synthetic strategy involved the modification of TiO₂by a one-step direct anchoring of thiol groups via reaction between the hydroxyl groups on the surface of TiO₂ and triethoxysilane groups of (3-mercapto)propyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS). The modified TiO₂nanoparticles (NPs) were dispersed in acrylic acid monomers and subsequently polymerized by TLIRP to yield PAA-g-TiO₂nanocomposites. FT-IR spectra, XPS, EDS, UV-Vis spectroscopy and SEM images provided direct and clear evidence for the coordination of MPTMS and the presence of PAA on TiO₂ NPs. The immobilization of PAA onto TiO₂ NPs significantly improved their dispersibility in organic solvents. Additionally, laser diffraction spectroscopy of the TiO₂ NPs was examined in order to get the size distribution of nanocomposites.

Acknowledgment

This work was supported by the the BK21 Plus program.