Leila Bagheri - Department of chemistry, Faculty of sciences, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz
Hasan Valizadeh - ۱Department of chemistry, Faculty of sciences, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz
Nosratollah Zarghami - Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

The incorporation of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) molecules as nanoparticles into polymers can provide improved physico-chemical properties. The enhancement depends on the extent of dispersion of the nanofiller, which is determined by the compatibility with the polymer that is by the POSS type, and the processing method. In this study, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/octa(3-hydroxypropyl) polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanocomposites were prepared by solution mixing followed by film casting. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy observations showed that the POSS molecules formed crystal domains and dispersed uniformly on the nanoscale in the PCL matrix. Fourier transform infrared analysis of the nanocomposites revealed that there are hydrogen-bonded interactions between the hydroxyl group of the POSS-(OH)8 and carbonyl oxygen of the PCL. The presence of POSS leads to an increase in the number of nucleation sites, and a reduction in the size of the crystallite and the overall degree of crystallinity, as a result of the confinement of PCL chains caused by POSS nanoparticles. The incorporation of POSS derivatives into the PCL matrix improved thermal stability and POSS nanoparticles enhanced the surface hydrophobicity of PCL.

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane, Nanocomposites.