Mechanical, thermal and biodegradable behavior properties of nano SiO2 doped polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate (PHEMA) films

Abstract

In this study, nanocomposite materials were prepared by chemical modification of polyhydroxy ethyl methacrylate (PHEMA) and nano-SiO2. Scope of work; PHEMA-based nano-SiO2 doped nanocomposite hydrogels were produced by in-situ free radical polymerization technique with radical initiator and crosslinker. N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl ethylenediamine (TEMED) was used as a catalyst. The interaction of the selected reinforcement material (SiO2) with the polymer (PHEMA) and the development of its structural properties for the application area are provided. The chemical structure, morphology, mechanical, thermal and biodegradable behavior of the obtained materials were investigated. It was observed that the nano reinforcement material doped on the films increased the mechanical strength, improved the biodegradable property and increased the thermal stability by 4 °C in the film with the highest amount of nano SiO2 addition.