Graft polymerization and characterization of butyl acrylate onto silane-modified attapulgite

Clay-polymer hybrid materials are prepared from natural attapulgite (ATP) that was first modified with silane coupling agent, and next, graft polymerization processed with butyl acrylate (BA). The silane-modified ATP dispersed in a solution of acrylate in toluene. In this system, free-radical polymerization was carried out in the presence of benzoyl peroxide (BPO). Thermal behavior and the structure of the hybrid materials were investigated by differential thermal analysis (DTA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and x-ray. The results showed that the silane coupling agent was found to be covalently bonded to ATP. The composite materials, with various amounts of ATP, were then hydrolyzed and condensed in the presence of a catalyst to yield hybrid materials which have a combination of properties of both the polymer and ATP.