Supercritical fluid mediated synthesis of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)/Fe₃O₄ hybrid nanocomposite

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

<P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P><P>We successfully developed an easier and more effective method to prepare a magnetic polymer nanocomposite by in situ radical polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate in the presence of the surface-modified Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB> nanoparticles with a coupling agent in supercritical CO<SUB>2</SUB>. FE-TEM pictures showed that the nanoparticles were well dispersed in the polymer matrix. The incorporation of Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB> in the nanocomposite was confirmed by FT-IR, XRD and XPS. Thermal stability and magnetic property increase with the increasing amount of Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB> nanoparticles in the composite. This new environmentally benign green synthetic route may offer advantages of easy separation and solvent removal.<ce:figure id='fig0005'></ce:figure></P><P><B>Highlights</B></P><P>► A magnetic polymer nanocomposite (Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB>-g-PHEMA) was successfully synthesized via in-situ dispersion polymerization in supercritical carbon dioxide. ► The Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB> nanoparticles were well dispersed in the polymer matrix. ► The resulting nanocomposites have an excellent superparamagnetic property, which is favorable for their bio-applications. ► This new environmentally benign green synthetic route offers advantages of avoiding the use of organic solvents as well as easy separation of solvent.</P> <P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) and magnetic nanoparticle (Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB>) hybrid nanocomposite was synthesized by dispersion polymerization in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO<SUB>2</SUB>) using a copolymeric stabilizer, poly[(2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate-<I>co</I>-1<I>H</I>,1<I>H</I>-perfluorooctyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA-co-PFOMA). Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB> nanoparticles were first surface-modified with a silane coupling agent methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS), which provides a reactive CC bond and can copolymerize with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). After immobilization of the silane coupling agent, polymer chains were successfully grafted onto the surface of Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB>, resulting in the formation of core–shell nanostructure. FE-TEM pictures showed that the nanoparticles were well dispersed in the polymer matrix. The incorporation of Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB> in the nanocomposite was confirmed by FT-IR, XRD and XPS. Thermal stability and magnetic property increase with the increasing amount of Fe<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB> nanoparticles in the composite. This new environmentally benign green synthetic route may offer advantages of easy separation and solvent removal.</P>