Effect of some solvents on the molecular interaction between filler/Matrix: case of PMMA/SiO2 nanocomposites

Poly (methyl methacrylate)/SiO 2 nanocomposite membranes were made by simple solution mixing procedure, using three different solvents: Acetone, Acetonitrile and Chloroform.FT-IR studies confirm first the formation of H-bond between the matrix (PMMA) and the filler (SiO 2 ).Second, the FT-IR peak of bound carbonyl groups was shifted by 9, 11cm -1 and 19 cm -1 in the samples prepared with Acetone, Acetonitrile and Chloroform, respectively.These peak shifts are related to the H-bond interaction strength.The strongest interaction between PMMA and SiO 2 was presented in the nanocomposite prepared by Chloroform solvent.In addition, the Studio Software Solution "Material Studio 6.0" was used to calculate the surface interaction energy between the PMMA, SiO 2 and solvent.The results of the simulation showed that the Chloroform molecule form the weakest surface interaction energy between both PMMA molecule and Silica particle, which facilitates creating strong interaction between them .The calculated data are in good agreement with the experimental results.