Copper-Doped Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: Influence on Thermal, Thermo Mechanical, and Tribological Properties of Polycarbonate

In the existing study, an attempt has been made to develop scratch resistant polycarbonate (PC) nanocomposites using inorganic ZnO nanoparticles doped with copper (ZnCuO). The ZnCuO nanoparticles were synthesized using co-precipitation method and modified using phosphoric acid ethyl hexyl ester (PAEH). The size range of nanoparticles was confirmed to be around 55-75 nm using AFM. TGA, FTIR, and NMR confirmed modification of nanoparticles and XRD approved of size reduction due to doping. PC/ZnCuO nanocomposites (PCNC) with a loading of 1%, 3% and 5% by weight were prepared by melt extrusion and an evaluation of thermal, thermo-mechanical, and tribological properties were carried out. The dispersion study using FE-SEM images revealed the presence of aggregates. Thermal analyses using TGA and DSC indicated a decrement in stability for PCNC. The PCNC was found to exhibit better storage modulus with an enhancement of 23% with a 3 wt% loadings of nanoparticles as compared to pure PC. The tribological study of PCNC indicated a favorable decrement of a coefficient of friction by nearly 14% in the case of 3% PCNC. (C) 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers