EFFECT OF THE INCORPORATION OF TREATED SILICA WITH AMINOSILANE IN PMMA/SAN/SILICA NANOCOMPOSITES
APTES, PMMA/SAN blend, nanocomposites, silica
Nanocomposites of polymers and silica have become the focus of many researchers in recent years because of their excellent properties when compared to individual components. In this work a surface modification treatment of the silica with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) was carried out for incorporation in the poly(methyl methacrylate)/poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile)(PMMA/SAN) blend by means of processing in double screw extruder. The effect of the addition of silica nanoparticles with and without surface modification on the structure and properties of PMMA/SAN blends was evaluated in order to promote better mechanical properties without compromising the transparency of the materials produced. The materials were characterized by flow index measures (MFI), mechanical tests of uniaxial traction, 3-point flexural, Rockwell M hardness (HRM) and Shore D, Izod impact, parallel plate rheometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), abrasion and scratch tests. The rheological results indicated that there was a reaction between the silica nanoparticles treated with the pure polymers and with the PMMA/SAN blend, proving a useful technique to evaluate possible reactions during the extrusion process. The nanocomposites presented a decrease in the properties of maximum tensile strength, impact strength and elongation at break when compared to PMMA/SAN blends, which showed synergism in the properties of maximum tensile strength and elongation at break. However, the properties of the nanocomposites with modified silica nanoparticles were superior to the nanocomposites without treatment. The addition of silica promoted an increase in the modulus of elasticity, hardness, abrasion and scratch of the nanocomposites produced.