Thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of organic-inorganic hybrid composites of itaconate-containing poly(butylene succinate) and methacrylate-substituted polysilsesquioxane

Itaconate-unit-containing poly(butylene succinate) (PBSI) was synthesized by the reaction of 1,4-butanediol, succinic acid, and itaconic acid in a molar ratio of 2.0 : 1.0 : 1.0, and the obtained PBSI was reacted with methacryl-group-substituted polysilsesquioxane (ME-PSQ) in the presence of benzoyl peroxide (BPO) at 130 degrees C to produce PBSI/ME-PSQ hybrid composites. The thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of the PBSI/ ME-PSQ hybrid composites were investigated in comparison with those of PBSI cured at 130 degrees C in the presence of BPO. As a result, the hybrid composites showed a much higher thermal degradation temperature and storage modulus in the rubbery state than the cured PBSI (C-PBSI). The thermal degradation temperature and storage modulus of the hybrid composites increased with increasing ME-PSQ content. The glass-transition temperature, measured by dynamic mechanical analysis of the hybrid composites, somewhat increased with increasing ME-PSQ content. However, the glass-transition temperatures of all the hybrid composites were lower than that of C-PBSI. Although the IR absorption peak related to C=C groups was not detected for C-PBSI, some olefinic absorption peaks remained for all the hybrid composites. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.