Nafion®/silicate hybrid membranes via dibutyltin dilaurate-catalyzed in situ sol-gel processes

PMSE 418

Mohammad K. Hassan, Mohamed.Hassan@usm.edu, School of Polymers and High Performance Materials, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #10076, Hattiesburg, MS 39406 and Kenneth A. Mauritz, kenneth.mauritz@usm.edu, School of Polymers and High Performance Materials, University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive #10076, Hattiesburg, MS 39406.
Nafion®/silicate hybrids were prepared from tetraethylorthosilicate monomers using dibutyltin dilaurate catalyst through an in-situ sol-gel process using atmospheric moisture instead of adding water during the reaction. TGA decomposition profiles of these nanocomposites are different from those for unfilled Nafion®-H+ and the thermal degradation process is suggested to be modified by these incorporated silicate phases in the polar sulfonic acid clusters. This modification is thought to be due to the presence of a new type of silicate structure induced within Nafion®. A major shift to higher values in the β-transition temperature, which is the Nafion® glass transition temperature, is observed with increased silica content and is attributed to added restrictions on main chain mobility.
 

Synthesis and Self-Assembly Approaches to Polymer-Inorganic Hybrid Nanoparticles
1:30 PM-4:10 PM, Wednesday, April 9, 2008 Hilton New Orleans Riverside -- Grand Salon 24, Oral

Division of Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008