Structural, Mechanical and Flammability Characterization of Crosslinked Talc Composites with Different Particle Sizes

The influence of filler particle size on selected physicochemical and functional properties of polymer composites was analyzed. The following test was carried out for the system: the bisphenol A glycerolate (1 glycerol/phenol) di-methacrylate (BPA.DM) was subjected to UV-polymerization in bulk with N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP) as a polymer matrix and talc with particle sizes ranging from ≤8 to 710 µm as a non-toxic and cheap mineral filler. An effective method of preparing cross-linked polymeric composites with talc was developed. The obtained samples were subjected to structural analysis and the thermal, mechanical and flammability properties were assessed. It has been empirically confirmed that the talc particles are incorporated into the composite structure. However, with increasing particle size, the composite heterogeneity increases. In the case of the developed method of sample production, homogeneous systems were obtained for particles in the ≤8–250 µm range. The surface roughness of the samples correlates directly with the size of talc particles. The value of Young’s modulus during the axial stretching of samples decreases with the increasing size of talc particles. For the composites containing ≤15 and ≤35 µm talc particles, the highest values were obtained under bending conditions. There was no equivocal effect of particle size on the composites’ swelling in water. The addition of talc reduces the flame height and intensity slightly. The biggest difference was obtained for the composites containing relatively large talc particles. It was proved that the selected properties of polymer composites can be controlled depending on the size of the talc particles

Synthesis, Characterization and Sorption Ability of Epoxy Resin-Based Sorbents with Amine Groups

Water pollution by toxic substances, such as azo dyes, is a serious environmental problem that needs to be addressed. This study presents the synthesis and characterization of new polymeric sorbents, based on the epoxy resin Epidian® 5 (Ep5), as a potential adsorbent for the removal of the toxic azo dye C.I. Acid Violet 1 (AV1). Triethylenetetramine (TETA) was applied as a cross-linking agent in the amounts of 1 g (6.67 wt %), 1.5 g (10 wt %), and 2 g (13.33 wt %). The use of a compound with amino groups allows for the simultaneous functionalization of the obtained material. The reaction was carried out in an environment of ethylene glycol, with the addition of a porophore solvent (toluene) and bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate sodium salt (S). The attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) revealed the existence of a strong band in the 828–826 cm−1 range corresponding to the second-order amine group, which indicates their incorporation into the epoxy structure. The glass transition and decomposition temperatures of the resins decreased with the increasing amounts of amine in the material. The thermogravimetry (TGA) analysis demonstrated that all products are thermally stable up to 340 °C. The surface morphology and microstructural properties of the obtained sorbents were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and showed an irregular star shape, with dimensions ranging from 400 to 1000 µm. The adsorption capacities of Ep5-TETA1, Ep5-TETA1.5, Ep5-TETA2 and Ep5-TETA1.5 + S for AV1 evaluated during batch experiments were found to be 2.92, 3.76, 7.90 and 3.30 mg/g, respectively

The Properties and Porous Structures of Sulphur-Containing Copolymers

The copolymerization of two pairs of tetra-functional monomers, viz. bis[4(2-hydroxy-3-acryloyloxypropoxy)phenyl] sulphide with divinylbenzene and bis[4(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloyloxypropoxy)phenyl] sulphide with glycidyl methacrylate, was used for the synthesis of highly cross-linked porous microspheres in the presence of the pore-forming diluents, decan-1-ol and toluene. The porous structures of the obtained microspheres in the dry state (from nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements) and the swollen state (via inverse size exclusion chromatography) were investigated and compared with those of the bis[4(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloyloxypropoxy)phenyl] sulphide and divinylbenzene copolymers studied previously. The swelling properties of the obtained copolymers as well as their thermal properties as studied by DSC and TG analyses were discussed in detail. The texture of the obtained microspheres was visualized by AFM analysis

The use of waste materials as fillers in polymer composites-synthesis and thermal properties

This paper presents the synthesis and characterization of new polymeric materials in form of composites. As a fillers, waste materials of inorganic origin (ash and silica gel), were used. In the synthesis of composites, two derivatives of bisphenol A (glycerolate diacrylate, and epoxy resin, Epidian® 5), were applied. The compositions were prepared with an increasing amount of fillers 0-40% w/w in both tested systems. Composites were analyzed using the thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DTG), which showed the influence of different fillers on their thermal properties. Moreover, the proper course of the polymerization reaction was confirmed by spectroscopic analysis (ATR/FT-IR). It has been shown that new resistant materials can be obtained, using cheap and waste materials, by simple synthesis which does not require monitoring of the reaction course or expensive polymerization initiators

Study of Porous Structures and Thermal Properties of Luminescent Polymeric Microspheres Derivatives of Naphthalene-2,7-Diol

We studied the porous structures and thermal properties of spherical shaped cross-linked polymers. These novel polymeric microspheres were synthesized by emulsion–suspension polymerization of aromatic tetrafunctional monomer [2,7-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloyloxypropoxy)naphthalene (2,7-NAF.DM)] with typical, commercially available monomers (styrene, divinylbenze ne and methyl methacrylate). The monomer 2,7-NAF.DM was obtained in the two-step process. In the first step, the epoxy resin was synthesized by treating epichlorohydrin with naphthalene-2,7-diol. In the second step, the obtained epoxy derivatives were subjected to esterification with methacrylic acid. Porous structures of the obtained microspheres in the dry state were studied by nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements. Thermal stabilities and degradation behaviours of the obtained co-polymers were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric/derivative thermogravimetry analyses. In addition, we also present the photoluminescent properties of these microspheres

Synthesis and characterization of linear and crosslinked polymers with the addition of DMSPS

The aim of this research was the synthesis of polymers with the addition of S,S'-thiodi-4,1-phenylene bis(thiomethacrylate) (DMSPS) by bulk polymerization. Styrene (St), divinylbenzene (DVB) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) were used for the copolymerization as main monomers. The chemical structures of sulfur-containing polymers were confirmed by the spectroscopic analysis (ATR/FT-IR). In order to determine the impact of the sulfur derivative (DMSPS) addition on thermal properties of the obtained copolymers, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was performed. The hardness tests of the obtained copolymers were also applied using a Shore durometer

Special Issue: Synthesis, Processing, Structure and Properties of Polymer Materials

Polymeric materials are widely used in many different technical fields [...