Polyol-mediated synthesis of zinc oxide nanorods and nanocomposites with poly(methyl methacrylate)

Abstract

ZnO nanorods (length 30-150nm) were synthesized in di(ethylene glycol) using Zn(CH 3COO) 2 as a precursor and para-toluene sulphonic acid, p-TSA, as an end-capping agent. Increasing the concentration of p-TSA above 0.1M causes the reduction of the ZnO length. Nanocomposites with poly(methyl methacrylate) were prepared using unmodified nanorods. They enhanced the UV absorption of nanocomposites (∼98) at low ZnO concentrations (0.05-0.1wt.), while visible light transparency was high. At concentrations of 1wt. and above, nanorods enhanced the thermal stability of nanocomposites. At low concentrations (0.05-0.1wt.), they increased the storage modulus of material and shifted T g towards higher temperatures as shown by dynamic mechanical analysis, DMA, while at higher concentrations (1.0wt.) this effect was deteriorated. DMA also showed that spherical ZnO particles have a more pronounced effect on the storage modulus and T g than nanorods. Copyright © 2012 Alojz Anlovar et al.