In Situ Synthesis of Hyperbranched Polyamide/Titania Nanocomposites via Sol-Gel Process

Titania reinforced polymer nanocomposites have been widely studied in recent years as they combine the beneficial traits of two components rendering a single high performing material. In this study, a hyperbranched polyamide was synthesized via an uncatalyzed one step strategy by reaction of m-phenylene diamine and 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl chloride in 1:1 molar ratio. Three nanocomposites were prepared via sol-gel process using (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane as a coupling agent and titanium tetraisopropoxide as a precursor. The synthesized nanocomposites had 6 wt%, 12 wt% and 18 wt% of titania nanoparticles. Size and morphology of the nanoparticles were controlled by carefully modulating the ratio of polyamide and the precursor. The hyperbranched polyamide and the nanocomposites were characterized by FTIR to confirm the formation of amide linkages. Thermogravimetric analysis was carried out to define the thermal stability. Surface morphologies of polyamide and the nanocomposites were probed by FESEM analysis. Due to photocatalytic activity of titania nanoparticles and exceptional properties of polyamide, the synthesized nanocomposites have the prospect of being used for water purification and gas separation.