Preparation of MEMO silane-coated SiO2 nanoparticles under high pressure of carbon dioxide and ethanol

The objective of this study is to investigate and compare methods of nanosilica coating with γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxy (MEMO) silane using supercritical carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide-ethanol mixture. Characterization of grafted silane coupling agent on the nanosilica surface was performed by the infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The d₅₀ value and particle size distribution were determined by laser particle size analyzer (PSA). The operating parameters of silanization process at 40 °C, such as the silica/silane weight ratio, the presence of ethanol, and the pressure, were found to be important for the successful coating of silica particles with minimum agglomeration. The results indicate that presence of ethanol in high-pressure carbon dioxide plays an important role in achieving successful deagglomeration of coated nanoparticles. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that dispersion of the silica particles in the PMMA matrix and interfacial adhesion between silica particles and polymer matrix were enhanced, when silica nanoparticles treated with silane under high pressure of carbon dioxide and ethanol were used for the nanocomposite preparation.