Synthesis and characterization of interpenetrating polymer network of Fullerene based poly (α-methyl styrene) and polyurethane

A Novel flexible fullerene based interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) of poly (α-methyl styrene) and polyurethane is synthesized. The polymer network is characterized using infrared, 13C NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetric analysis, thermo gravimetric analysis, conductivity analysis, transmission electron microscopic techniques, complex permeability and permittivity characteristics. Infrared spectral analysis of polymeric sample show characteristic peaks for fullerene at 1445, 549 and 1600 cm−1, for poly (α-methyl styrene)(PAMS) at 3055, 1495, 2981 and 698 cm−1 and for polyurethane it reveals peaks at 3200, 1742, and 2798 cm−1. The peaks recorded for 13C NMR spectra shows the signal for fullerene at 136 ppm, for poly (α-methyl styrene) at 128, 62, 40 and 25 ppm and for polyurethane at 180.0, 63.2, 37.3 and 25.1 ppm respectively. The glass transition temperature value obtained from differential scanning calorimetric analysis is found to be 160 °C. The initial thermal decomposition of polymer network was studied by thermo gravimetric analysis which is found to 392 °C. The conductivity record reveals the semiconductor character of polymer network. The XRD pattern of IPN indicates semi crystalline nature. Transmission electron microscopic examination reveals clear dual phase morphology in the synthesized polymer network. Besides of these characterizations IPN is also analyzed for permeability and pemittivity, which reveals more or less semiconductor nature of synthesized IPN.