Preparation, characterizations and investigation of properties of new poly(ether-imide) nanocomposite films reinforced with zinc oxide nanoparticles

This research deals with fabrication and evaluation of properties of poly(ether-imide)/functionalized zinc oxide nanocomposites (PEI/f-ZnO NCs) via an in-situ polymerization method. The process involves the dispersion of pre-functionalized zinc oxide nanoparticles (f-ZnO NPs) in N,N-dimethylacetamide, polycondensation of 5-(2-benzoxazole)-1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene (DABO) and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) in the presence of f-ZnO NPs suspension to form poly(amic acid) (PAA), and followed by the thermal imidization of PAA/f-ZnO nanocomposites. For increasing reactivity and compatibility between the nano-fillers and polymer matrix, the periphery of ZnO NPs was amine-functionalized with 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) to form f-ZnO NPs. The structure, morphology, and thermal properties of nanocomposite films with various f-ZnO NPs loadings were systematically characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results indicated that f-ZnO NPs were dispersed uniformly at a nanometer scale in PEI matrix. Owing to such nanodispersion of nanoparticles, the PEI/f-ZnO nanocomposite films exhibit dramatic improvements on thermal stability as compared with the neat polymer.