Photo‐differential scanning calorimetry study on photopolymerization of nanosized titanium dioxide/polyacrylate hybrid materials

Nanosized titania–polyacrylate hybrid films were prepared by controlled hydrolysis of titanium tetrabutoxide (TTB) in Span 85/Tween 80 reverse micelles as well as rapid entrapment of nanosized particles by subsequent photopolymerization. This work focused on the characterization of the photopolymerization of the transparent hybrid films via photocalorimetry. The polymerization kinetics of several mixtures of mono‐ and di‐functional acrylate monomers were compared to examine the effect of average functionality. Further, Effects of H₂O]/surfactant] molar value and TTB concentration on photopolymerization kinetics were also studied. X‐ray photoelectron spectra and FTIR demonstrated the formation of TiO₂ in the hybrid films. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) images showed the inorganic domains with mean sizes of 25 nm were uniformly dispersed in the polymeric networks. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry