Magnetic Nanocomposites Based on Thermoset Polymers with Outstanding Amount of Green Carbon

Abstract

The current study focuses on the obtaining and characterization of magnetic nanocomposite materials based on different thermoset matrices with exceptional amount of green carbon and magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNP), coated with oleic acid for compatibilization purposes. The polymeric matrices were obtained by the radical polymerization of either two different bio-based precursors such as methacrylated maleated ricinoleic acid (MMRA), acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) and methacrylated oleic acid (MOA) or by reacting MMRA with the petroleum derived vinyl monomer styrene (ST). Different characterization techniques revealed that the type and level of nanoparticles-matrix interactions strongly determine the behavior of the composites, leading, for example, to filled samples with slightly lower Tg and lower tensile modulus than the corresponding neat matrix (i.e. MMRA-MOA and MOA-AESO systems) or with clearly higher glass transition temperatures and similar tensile modulus, as is the case of MMRA-ST composites. Magnetic measurements indicate that there is no influence of the matrix on the magnetic response of the nanoparticles and that the tendency to align with a magnetic field as well as the magnetic force increases as the MNP content in the composites increases, leading to functional bio-based nanocomposites that not only contain an outstanding amount of green carbon, but can also be remotely manipulated with static magnetic fields.