A novel LDH nanofiller intercalated by silsesquioxane for preparing organic/inorganic hybrid composites

A novel layered double hydroxide nanofiller (LDH-SA) was synthesized through intercalating the silsesquioxane-based aminoundecanoic acid (SAD) into MgAl-based LDH, following by grafted with the semiadduct of IPDI and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (IPDI-HEA). SAD was obtained by the reaction of semiadduct isophorone diisocyanate-aminoundecanoic acid (IPDI-AD) with the pre-synthesized silsesquioxane hybrid polyol (SOH). The molecular structures were characterized by FT-IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. LDH-SA was blended into an acrylic resin and UV irradiated, obtaining an exfoliated polymer/LDH nanocomposite which possesses the combined enhancement in thermal stability brought by both LDH and silsesquioxane. The formed UV cured nanocomposite possessed the exfoliated microstructure from the transmission electron microscope (TEM) and HR-TEM observations. The thermal and mechanical properties were greatly enhanced. The onset decomposition temperature of nanocomposite with 5% LDH-SA loading increased by 45 °C from TGA analysis, while the tensile strength and pencil hardness were enhanced to 9.4 MPa and 2 H from 7.2 MPa and 3B, respectively, compared with the pure polymer.

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► A novel LDH nanofiller intercalated by silsesquioxane was synthesized.
► The nanofiller was used to prepare a UV cured exfoliated polymer/LDH nanocomposite.
► The nanocomposite possesses the combined advantages of LDH and silsesquioxane.