Fabrication of polymethyl methacrylate composite films with silanized SiC nanoparticles

The properties of polymeric composites have often been altered with the incorporation of fillers. In this study, the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was filled with silicon carbide nano-particles (SiC). The PMMA/SiC composite films were prepared through solution casting by using acetone as solvent. The different loading of SiC ranging from 0.25 wt% to 1.00 wt% were incorporated into the PMMA matrix. The effect of SiC loading and silane coupling agent on PMMA/SiC composite films in terms of mechanical, physical, and morphological properties was investigated. It was found that the increasing SiC loading and the silane treatment had increased the tensile strength and Young’s modulus but reduced the elongation at the break of PMMA/SiC composite films. At 0.75 wt% of silanized SiC, the tensile strength of the composite films was found to increase by 25 % from 30 to 37.5 MPa as compared to the virgin PMMA. Besides, the hardness of composite films was also increased with SiC loading and silane treatment. The presence of 1.00 wt% silanized SiC had increased 21.7% the hardness of the virgin PMMA, resulting in the increase of Shore A value from 69 to 84. By using silane treatment, better filler-matrix interaction was established as smoother fracture surfaces were observed through SEM micrographs and higher d-spacing was found in X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The PMMA/SiC composite films prepared were suitable to be used in sporting goods, additive manufacturing, and environmental and protective coatings.