Preparation of double-coated TiO2 nanoparticles using an anchoring grafting method and investigation of the UV resistance of its reinforced PEI film

TiO2 nanoparticles were modified with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (γ-MPS) and polyetherimide (PEI) in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) using an anchoring grafting method. The modified nanoparticles (TMP) were characterized using Fourier-transform infared spectra (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermal gravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and were found to be successfully coated by γ-MPS and PEI layers. The dispersion-sedimentation mechanism that occurred in the modification of the TiO2 nanoparticles was examined and explained using a dispersion stability test. Nanocomposite films (TMP/PEI) that contained TMP nanoparticle as a filler material within a PEI matrix were also fabricated. Compared with traditional TiO2/PEI nanocomposite films, the TMP/PEI film exhibited improved tensile strength and tensile modulus, both before and after UV radiation.