POSS Grafting on Polyethylene and Maleic Anhydride-Grafted Polyethylene by One-Step Reactive Melt Mixing

This study reports the one-step reactive melt mixing preparation of organic-inorganic hybrid based on maleic anhydride-grafted polyethylene and 3-(2-aminoethyl)aminopropyl-heptaisobutyl substituted polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane, (NPOSS), as well as on low-density polyethylene and allyl-heptaisobutyl-POSS (1POSS) in dicumyl peroxide presence, which is believed to activate the unsaturation of the reactive functional group of POSS itself. The successful grafting of POSS molecules onto polymeric backbones was probed through rheological and spectroscopic analysis. Grafting of POSS molecules enhances their dispersion in the polymeric matrix as shown by morphological analysis. Moreover, the rheological analysis of the organic-inorganic hybrids reveals a solid-like behavior, due to the formation of a network related to the interactions between grafted POSS molecules. The homogeneous dispersion of POSS molecules along with the strong interaction between polymeric segments and the nanoparticles influences the calorimetric and mechanical properties of the obtained hybrids.