Development and characterization of the composites based on mesoporous MCM-41 and polyethylene glycol and their properties

Novel MCM-41/polyethylene glycol composites have been synthesized using different ratios of MCM-41. The structure of the different composites was confirmed by using various characterization tools, including: thermal analyses (TGA and DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The XRD and FT-IR results indicated that PEG interacts with MCM-41 via the formation of hydrogen bonds where no new phase was detected. The TGA analysis results demonstrated that the presence of MCM-41 practically affects the temperature of the main step of degradation. The DTA analysis demonstrated that an increase in the MCM-41 content up to 30 wt.% is accompanied by a continuous decrease in the melting point of PEG.