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Structural features, properties, and relaxations of PMMA-ZnO nanocomposite

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Abstract

ZnO nanoparticles are recently attracting a lot of interest due to their novel optical, electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties, due to surface and quantum confinement effects. A stable dispersion of ZnO nanoparticles with a uniform particle diameter of 5 nm has been synthesized via chemical precipitation. The surface of the particles has been functionalized with dodecanethiol for enhanced compatibility and dispersion in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Transparent luminescent nanocomposite powders were obtained using solution mixing and solvent casting of ZnO nanoparticles in PMMA. This powder was used to produce injection-molded luminescent nanocomposites plaques. The effect of the ZnO nanoparticles on the polymer structure has been investigated by employing thermomechanical and dielectric spectroscopy analyses.

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Acknowledgements

AM wishes to thank EU for funding through the 7FP EU Project—ORION #222517.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università di Padova, via Marzolo 9, 35131, Padova, Italy

    Marta Dai Prè & Alessandro Martucci

  2. Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Building 75, Cnr College and Cooper Rds, Brisbane, 4072, Australia

    Darren J. Martin

  3. Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università di Padova, via Marzolo 1, 35131, Padova, Italy

    Sandra Lavina & Vito Di Noto

Authors
  1. Marta Dai Prè
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  2. Alessandro Martucci
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  3. Darren J. Martin
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  4. Sandra Lavina
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  5. Vito Di Noto
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Correspondence to Alessandro Martucci.

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Dai Prè, M., Martucci, A., Martin, D.J. et al. Structural features, properties, and relaxations of PMMA-ZnO nanocomposite. J Mater Sci 50, 2218–2228 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-014-8784-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-014-8784-0

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