In-Situ Preparation of Novel Nanocomposites of PMMA and Ordered Mesoporous Carbon (FDU-15)

Abstract Ordered mesoporous carbons have recently been given significant attention because of their unique hexagonal structure, tunable large pore volumes, high thermal stability, and high surface-to-volume ratio. In this research paper, for achieving the maximum compatibility between the FDU-15 and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), KH-550 was used as a modifying and coupling agent to facilitate the bond formations between the mesoporous carbon and PMMA with the help of ultrasonic irradiation. Nanocomposite (NC) films were produced via the in-situ polymerization method aligned with various amounts of modified FDU-15. Sample characterizations were done by Field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), low angle X-ray diffraction (LXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The LXRD pattern proved that the modification process did not affect the hexagonal mesoporous structure of FDU-15. The PMMA-m-FDU 2 wt% showed the existence of some pores on its surface according to FE-SEM. The TEM image of the NC depicted a uniform dispersion of mesoporous carbon into the polymer matrix and also confirmed the hexagonal 2D structure of the mesopores. TGA data also confirmed that as the m-FDU-15 increases into the PMMA matrix, the higher thermal stability will achieve, and also the Td will increase to the higher temperatures.