Authors: Shuyan Yang Zhimeng Liu Yuanqi Jiao Yuping Liu Chuanwei Ji Yanfang Zhang
Publish Date: 2014/03/06
Volume: 49, Issue: 12, Pages: 4270-4278
Abstract
In this study we demonstrate the use of poly ethylene oxide PEO for insitu modification of the inner surface of halloysite nanotubes HNTs with water molecules as the hydrogen bond forming medium as well as the nanoconfinement of PEO molecular chains within the nanotube Before testing the Soxhlet experiment of PEO/HNTs powder is applied in order to remove the physical adsorption of PEO molecules onto the outmost surface of HNTs The crystal temperature of PEO changes sharply from 369 °C of neat PEO to −25 °C of PEO in the PEO/HNTs powder and the decomposed temperature of PEO in the PEO/HNTs powder is about 131 °C higher than that of neat PEO which is mainly owing to the nanoconfinement effect of PEO within the HNTs with a diameter of about 10 nm From thermogravimetric TG analysis about 771 by weight of PEO has been chemically bonded to HNTs The hydrogen bonds among PEO HNTs and water molecules are evidenced by FTIR and XPS performances Meanwhile the binding energy of Al2p in the innermost surface of HNTs shifts from 747 eV in the neat HNTs to 745 eV in the PEO/HNTs powder while that of Si2p on the outmost surface of HNTs keeps almost constant indicating that the hydrogen bonds only exists inner the nanotube and PEO molecular chains have been trapped in nanoscale within HNTs which is in accordance with the DSC and TG observationThe authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from The National Natural Science Funds of China No 51303026 Science Foundation for Universities and Institutions of Dongguan City P R China Grant No 2012108102008 and the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Dongguan University of Technology P R China Grant No ZJ121002
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