The effect of the titanium dioxide nanoparticles on the morphology and degradation of polyamide 6 prepared by anionic ring‐opening polymerization

Abstract

Thermoplastic Resin Transfer Molding can be used to produce polyamide 6-based composites from ε-caprolactam by anionic ring-opening polymerization. However, the service life and applicability of these composites are limited because polyamide 6 is sensitive to UV radiation. Therefore, we analyzed the effect of nanosized titanium dioxide on the UV stability of polyamide 6 produced from ε-caprolactam. Despite the very low viscosity of caprolactam, we dispersed nanoparticles homogeneously in it before producing polyamide 6 from it. We have shown that both structural and chemical changes occur in the material under UV exposure. We proved that UV irradiation increases the crystalline fraction of the samples. This is caused by the shortening of the polymer chains. The crystalline fraction increases less with the addition of TiO 2 , which shows its UV protective effect. The particles prevent the rays from reaching the inside of the sample, producing a chalking effect on the surface.We analyzed and proved the chemical change in the samples by FTIR and color measurement. Our results showed that surface-treated titanium dioxide was more stable, and the ideal filler content was about 0.6 w/w%, above which photodegradation accelerated. This can be attributed to the photocatalytic activity of the titanium dioxide particles.

Development and Analysis of an In-Mold Coating Procedure for Thermoplastic Resin Transfer Molding to Produce PA6 Composites with a Multifunctional Surface

“…We performed ATR-FTIR (Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) studies on the samples with poor adhesion (Fig. 6), and showed that both the surface and the base layer had characteristic peaks typical of polyamide 6: hydrogen-bonded N-H stretching at 3295 cm −1 , C-H stretching and tension vibration at 2924 and 2854 cm −1 , respectively, amide I (C= O) vibration at 1634 cm −1 and amide II (N-H and C-N combination) vibration at 1537 cm −1 [35,36]. For the samples taken from the interface, we clearly showed that poor polymerization took place there.…”

Well‐defined poly(methyl methacrylate) hybrid titanium dioxide via miniemulsion polymerization: Design and evaluation of methylene blue dye degradation and antibacterial

“…21,22 However, biocompatibility, photocatalytic ability, and semi-conducting properties require a crystalline phase. 23 Two important properties of TiO 2 are its photocatalytic and antibacterial abilities.…”

“…Furthermore, the production of electron–hole pairs, surface adsorption and desorption processes, and redox processes influence the photocatalytic properties 21,22 . However, biocompatibility, photocatalytic ability, and semi‐conducting properties require a crystalline phase 23 . Two important properties of TiO 2 are its photocatalytic and antibacterial abilities.…”

Development and validation of a prototype for the on-line simultaneous analysis of quality caprolactam synthesized on an industrial scale

“…Caprolactam is an organic compound belonging to cyclic amides or lactams with the formula C 6 H 11 NO, widely used in different industries such as the automotive, textile, and electronic industries and, the production of polyamides such as Nylon 6, among others [ 1 , 2 ]. Caprolactam can be obtained using different pathways of strains that use toluene, benzene, and cyclohexane that react by Beckmann rearrangement and the formation of cyclohexanone as an intermediate [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] .…”