In situ polymerization of silicic acid in polyethylene–octene elastomer: Properties and characterization of the hybrid nanocomposites

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Abstract
Silicic acid produced from sodium metasilicate hydrate and metallocene polyethylene–octene elastomer (POE) were chosen as the ceramic precursor and the continuous phase, respectively, for preparation of new hybrids by an in situ sol–gel process. To obtain a better hybrid, the acrylic acid‐grafted polyethylene–octene elastomer (POE‐g‐AA) prepared in our laboratory and used as the continuous phase was also investigated. Characterizations of POE/SiO2 and POE‐g‐AA/SiO2 composites were performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 29Si solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry, X‐ray diffractometry, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry analysis, and an Instron mechanical tester. The POE‐g‐AA/SiO2 hybrid could give the positive effect on the properties of POE/SiO2 hybrid because the carboxylic acid groups of acrylic acid should act as coordination sites for the silica phase to form chemical bonds. The result of 29Si solid‐state NMR spectra showed that Si atom coordination around SiO4 units is predominantly Q3 and Q4. Also, the POE‐g‐AA/SiO2 hybrid with 15 wt % SiO2 gave the maximum values of tensile strength and glass‐transition temperature because excess particles might cause the separation between the organic and inorganic phases when the silica content was beyond this point. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 351–359, 2003