Ultrasonic assisted synthesis of nanocomposite materials based on resole resin and surface modified nano CeO2: Chemical and morphological aspects

In this study, phenol-formaldehyde (PF)/CeO2 nanocomposites (NC)s were prepared by in-situ polymerization of phenol and formaldehyde in alkali solution in the presence of surface modified CeO2 nanoparticles (NP)s by sonochemical assisted synthesis. The morphology and structure of PF/CeO2 NCs were characterized by using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermal analyses methods. It was found that due to the good dispersion of surface modified NPs in polymer matrix and the strong interfacial interaction between the CeO2 NPs and PF matrix, the thermal stability and thermo-mechanical properties of the PF/CeO2 NCs were greatly enhanced. FE-SEM and AFM analyses showed the uniform distribution of CeO2 NPs in PF matrix. The XRD patterns of NCs show the presence of crystalline CeO2 NPs in amorphous matrix. The thermal analysis results reveal that, with increases in the content of CeO2 NPs in PF matrix, the thermally stability factors of samples were drastically enhanced.