BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (Department VI.5), Unter den Eichen 87, D-12200 Berlin, Germany
Macromolecules, 2010, 43 (22), pp 9417–9425
DOI: 10.1021/ma101463m
*Corresponding author. Telephone: +-3384. Fax: +-1637. E-mail: Andreas.Schoenhals@bam.de., †
Permanent address: IPG NB Design, Lenovo China; No.6 Shangdi Xilu, Haidian District, Beijing, P. R. China
Abstract
Polymer-based nanocomposites were prepared by solution blending of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane with phenethyl substituents (PhenethylPOSS) into poly(bisphenol A carbonate) (PBAC). First investigations focused on structure, morphology and dynamics, addressed mainly by dielectric relaxation spectroscopy are substantially extended in this study by the investigation of the CO2 gas transport behavior of these materials, i.e., permeation experiments using the time-lag technique as well as gravimetric gas sorption measurements. The nanocomposite materials were prepared with nanofiller contents ranging from 0 to about 40 wt % by solution blending and films of about 50−100 μm thickness were cast from this solution and used for the investigation of gas transport properties after drying and annealing. From the time-lag measurements the permeability and an effective diffusion coefficient for CO2 is obtained in dependence of POSS concentration and temperature. As main results, both, the permeability and the diffusivity, increase whereas the solubility decreases with increasing POSS concentration. These findings are discussed in the framework of a microphase separated morphology of the nanocomposite systems for POSS concentrations greater than a value POSScrit of ca. 7 wt % consisting of a polycarbonate-rich matrix and POSS-rich domains which are surrounded by an interfacial layer. The experimental solubility data suggest that the POSS-rich domains are more or less impermeable for CO2. On the basis of this assumption a quantitative model is provided to correct the solubility data for the phase separated morphology. Moreover the importance of the interfacial layer between the POSS particles or its domains for the properties of nanocomposites especially for the gas transport behavior is addressed by analyzing the sorption isotherms. Also, for the first time results from gas transport measurements and dielectric spectroscopy were quantitatively related to each other by taking the activation...
