Potential Advantages of Poly(Acrylonitrile-co-methyl acrylate)/Sodium Silicate Nanocomposites over P(AN-co-MA) Copolymer

Poly (acrylonittile-co-methyl acrylate) copolymer and P(AN-co-MA)/sodium silicate (SS) nanocomposite were synthesized via non-conventional emulsion method using an in situ transition metal complex Co(II)/EDTA and ammonium persulfate (APS) as initiator. The copolymer and nanocomposite so obtained were characterized and the results were compared. UV-visible spectral analysis revealed various interactions between the in situ complex and other reaction components. Infrared and H-1 NMR spectra confirmed the formation of the P(AN-co-MA) copolymer and P(AN-co-MA)/SS nanocomposite. Furthermore, as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the composite obtained was found to have nano scale structure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies were carried out to analyze the aqueous dispersions of silicate with monomers, initiators, and monomers with initiators. For P(AN-co-MA) copolymer and P(AN-co-MA)/SS nanocomposite, XRD results confirmed that the silicate layers were exfoliated in the copolymer matrix during the polymerization process. An increase in the thermal stability for the nanocomposite was recorded by thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). In comparison with the P(AN-co-MA) copolymer, the new P(AN-co-MA)/SS nanocomposite was found to show super absorbency and was biodegradable when tested by soil burial, activated sludge and cultured media and further confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).