Preparation and properties of ABS-silica nanocomposites through sol-gel process under the catalyzation of different catalysts

Nanocomposites of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) and silic a were prepared by the sol-gel process using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in th e presence of ABS under the catalyzation of HCl and NH4F, respectively. The gelation of the ABS/TEOS sol-gel solution using NH4F as the catalyst was f aster than that of the system using HCl as the catalyst. The microstructure and dynamic mechanical properties of the nanocomposites derived from the d ifferent catalysts were investigated in detail by means of scanning electro n microscopy (SER I). FTIR, solid-state NMR, and dynamic mechanical analyze r (DMA). The ABS/SiO2-NH4F had higher interfacial force, smoother and dense r morphology. and better physical performance than the ABS/SiO2-HCl did.