Transparent poly(bisphenol A carbonate)-based nanocomposites with high refractive index nanoparticles

Transparent organic–inorganic nanocomposites were successfully synthesized from sulfonic acid-modified poly(bisphenol A carbonate) (SPC) and TiO2 or ZrO2 nanoparticles. The dispersibility of nanoparticles was significantly improved by both the surface treatment of nanoparticles with phosphoric acid 2-ethylhexyl esters (PAEH) and the introduction of a sulfonic acid moiety into the PC chain. It was found that in some cases, crystallization of the matrix caused a reduction in transparency. Efficient dispersion of nanoparticles and the absence of crystallization resulted in highly transparent nanocomposites with up to 42 wt% TiO2 and 50 wt% ZrO2 nanoparticles. The refractive indices of the nanocomposites based on SPC increased with the increasing amount of nanoparticles. Theoretical equation based on Maxwell–Garnett effective medium theory provided reasonably close estimation of the refractive indices to the experimentally observed values. The prepared nanocomposites had lower thermal stability than the host matrix polymers.