Development of TiO2 and TiO2/Fe-based polymeric nanocomposites by single-step laser pyrolysis

Polymer-based nanocomposites provided with inorganic cores were simultaneously manufactured by the single-step laser pyrolysis. A comparative study was performed on two types of nanocomposites, starting from two different systems: TiO2/methyl methacrylate (MMA) and TiO2/Fe/hexamethyl disiloxane (HMDSO) polymer. The reactive mixture contained TiCl4 as Ti precursor and alternatively, Fe(CO)(5) (in case of TiO2/Fe mixture). The analytical techniques used for the characterization indicate distinct morphologies for the obtained nanostructures. Polyhedral and almost spherical nanoparticles in a coalescent matrix and very rare individual core-shell particles are noticed for the TiO2/MMA nanocomposites. Instead, nanoparticles presenting core-shell structures were often present in the TiO2/Fe/HMDSO polymeric nanocomposites. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.