Abstract:
Binary nanocomposites, such as poly(methyl methacrylate)/ Na+montmorillonite (PMMA/MMT) and poly(methyl methacrylate)/silica sol (PMMA/SiS), and ternary nanocomposites, PMMA/Na+montmorillonite /silica sol (PMMA/MMT/SiS), were prepared via insitu soapfree emulsion polymerization. The gel permeation chromatography, smallangle X-ray diffractometry, differential scanning colorimeter, thermogravimetric analysis and tensile tests were carried out to investigate the effect of type and fraction of nanoparticles on the polymer molecular weight and distribution, thermal stability and tensile strength of the nanocomposites. The results show that the molecular weight distribution is broadened by introducing the nanoparticles. At a certain nanoparticle fraction, the ternary nanocomposite is more efficient in improving thermal stability and tensile strength of PMMA than binary nanocomposites.