Influence of cubic α-Fe2O3 particles on the thermal stability of poly(methyl methacrylate) synthesized by in situ bulk polymerization

Poly(methyl methacrylate)/α-Fe2O3 composites were prepared by in situ bulk radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of the cubic α-Fe2O3 particles using 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. The cubic α-Fe2O3 particles were synthesized by forced hydrolysis of FeCl3 and characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The molar masses and molar mass distribution of synthesized PMMA samples were determined by gel permeation chromatography. The influence of α-Fe2O3 filler particles on the thermal properties of the PMMA matrix was investigated using thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. The molar mass and polydispersity of PMMA extracted from composite samples were not influenced by cubic α-Fe2O3 particles. The obtained composites have better thermal and thermooxidative stability than pure PMMA. On the other hand, the values of the glass transition temperature of composite samples were identical to the glass transition temperature of pure PMMA.