Reversible epoxy networks with physical crosslinks based on tail-to-tail associations of alkyl chains

J. PUIG; CRISTINA E. HOPPE; ILEANA A. ZUCCHI; ANA LEDO SUAREZ; MARÍA J. GALANTE; ROBERTO J.J. WILLIAMS

Seigen

Congreso; POLICHAR18 - World Forum on Advanced Materials; 2010

Linear amphiphilic epoxy polymers synthesized by the polyaddition of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) with alkylamines like octylamine (OA), dodecylamine (DA) and hexadecylamine (HA), undergo a physical gelation process through tail-to-tail association of alkyl chains. Amphiphilic gels based on DGEBA-DA were used as dispersion media for a variety of nanoparticles stabilized with alky chains.Synthesis was carried out by two different methods: (a) by immersion of gel slices in previously synthesized NPs dispersions and (b) by impregnation with metallic ions and subsequent thermal reduction of the ions to give NPs (Au y Ag).Nanocomposites synthesized by methods a) and b) exhibited different properties. Glass transition temperatures (Tg) of nanocomposites prepared by method a) remained unchanged whereas for materials obtained by method (b) Tg values increased from 19.9ºC for the neat matrix to 27.7 ºC  for silver and 43.8ºC for gold nanocomposites.