Elaboration of poly(ε-caprolactone)-g-TiNbO5 nanocomposites via in situ metal complex initiated Intercalative polymerization

The preparation of poly(epsilon-caprolactene)-g-TiNbO5 nanocomposites via in situ intercalative polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone initiated by an aluminium complex is described. These nanocomposites were obtained in the presence of HTiNbO5 mineral pre-treated by AlMe3, but non-modified by tetraalkylammonium cations. These hybrid materials obtained have been characterized by Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic mechanical analysis. Layered structure delamination and homogenous distribution of mineral lamellae in the poly-(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) is figured out and strong improvement of the mechanical properties achieved. The storage modulus of the nanocomposites is enchanced a compared to pure PCL and increases monotonously with the amount of the filler in the range 3 to 10 wt.%.