In-situ fabrication of halloysite nanotubes/silica nano hybrid and its application in unsaturated polyester resin

• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2017.02.149
• Publication Date: 2017-02-21T04:16:00Z
• Authors: Jing Lin; Bangchao Zhong; Zhixin Jia; Dechao Hu; Yong Ding; Yuanfang Luo; Demin Jia
• Keywords: Halloysite; Thermal Stability

Abstract Silica nanoparticles was in-situ grown on the surface of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) by a facile one-step approach to prepare a unique nano-structured hybrid (HNTs-g-Silica). The structure, morphology and composition of HNTs-g-Silica were investigated. It was confirmed that silica nanoparticles with the diameter of 10–20 nm were chemically grafted through Si O bonds and uniformly dispersed onto the surface of HNTs, leading to the formation of nano-protrusions on the nanotube surface. Due to the significantly improved interface strength between HNTs-g-Silica and polymer matrix, HNTs-g-Silica effectively toughened unsaturated polyester resin (UPE) and endowed UPE with superior thermal stability compared to HNTs. Based on the unique hybrid architecture and the improved properties of UPE nanocomposites, it is envisioned that HNTs-g-Silica may be a promising filler for more high performance and functional polymers composites and the fabrication method may have implications in the synthesis of nano hybrid materials.