Encapsulation of montmorillonite through RAFT controlled radical polymerization in emulsion for the production of nanostructured films with anisotropic properties

• Grant number: 11/20533-8
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal researcher: Amilton Martins dos Santos
• Grantee: Rodrigo Duarte Silva
• Home Institution: Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Lorena , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In recent years, the incorporation of inorganic nanoparticles in a polymer matrix to produce hybrid materials with enhanced properties has received great attention from both academia and industry. Preserve and control the physicochemical properties of these nanoparticles are essential to maintain their integrity in nanoscale and ensure their uniform dispersion in the organic matrix so the properties can be enhanced. However, in order to optimize the property enhancement, it is also necessary to control their arrangement and organization in the final nanocomposite material. Among the various strategies for the synthesis of this type of material, emulsion polymerization, when compared to other methods, offers some advantages. It is environmentally friendly because it is carried out in aqueous media, and can be scaled-up for the production of latex which can be used in various segments such as coatings and adhesives. However, this technique faces limitations if the goal is the encapsulation of inorganic materials, an issue that becomes a challenge when anisotropic nanoparticles such as lamellar silicates are used as fillers. In order to overcome these limitations and to elucidate this process, this research project focuses on the production of polymer/silicate nanocomposites by controlled radical emulsion polymerization via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT). Although this method has been little explored for the production of nanocomposites in aqueous medium, it offers the possibility of promoting individual encapsulation of inorganic particles by controlled growth of polymer chains on its surface. In this project, the polymerization reactions will be conducted in the presence of Montmorillonite (MMT) and RAFT macro-agents who, in addition to mediating the polymerization, will stabilize the latex particles. The latex produced will be cast and the nanocomposite films should have anisotropic properties due to the organization of the inorganic material in the polymer matrix. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CHAPARRO, THAISSA C.; SILVA, RODRIGO D.; DUGAS, PIERRE-YVES; D'AGOSTO, FRANCK; LANSALOT, MURIEL; MARTINS DOS SANTOS, AMILTON; BOURGEAT-LAMI, ELODIE. Laponite (R)-based colloidal nanocomposites prepared by RAFT-mediated surfactant-free emulsion polymerization: the role of non-ionic and anionic macroRAFT polymers in stability and morphology control. Polymer Chemistry, v. 12, n. 1, p. 69-81, JAN 7 2021. Web of Science Citations: 2.

SILVA, RODRIGO DUARTE; CHAPARRO, THAISSA DE CAMARGO; MONTEIRO, IGOR STEFANICHEN; DUGAS, PIERRE-YVES; D'AGOSTO, FRANCK; LANSALOT, MURIEL; DOS SANTOS, ARNILTON MARTINS; `BOURGEAT-LAMI, ELODIE. Tailoring the Morphology of Polymer/Montrnorillonite Hybrid Latexes by Surfactant-Free Emulsion Polymerization Mediated by Arnphipathic MacroRAFT Agents. MACROMOLECULES, v. 52, n. 13, p. 4979-4988, JUL 9 2019. Web of Science Citations: 2.

SILVA, RODRIGO DUARTE; MONTEIRO, IGOR STEFANICHEN; CHAPARRO, THAISSA DE CAMARGO; HARDT, RAISSA SILVA; GIUDICI, REINALDO; BARROS-TIMMONS, A.; BOURGEAT-LAMI, ELODIE; DOS SANTOS, AMILTON MARTINS. Investigation of the Adsorption of Amphipathic macroRAFT Agents onto Montmorillonite Clay. Langmuir, v. 33, n. 38, p. 9598-9608, SEP 26 2017. Web of Science Citations: 6.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

SILVA, Rodrigo Duarte. Encapsulation of Montmorillonite by RAFT-mediated emulsion polymerization for the preparation of nanostructured films with anisotropic properties. 2017. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Engenharia de Lorena Lorena.