Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(Oligoethyleneglycol Methacrylate)-g-TiO 2 Nanocomposites via Surface-Initiated ARGET ATRP

Poly(oligoethyleneglycol methacrylate) (POEGMA) covalently attached to TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by the surface-initiated ARGET ATRP. The growth of polymer chains from the surface of ATRP-initiator functionalized nanoparticles was achieved under mild condition by using copper (II) as a catalyst and zerovalent copper (Cu⁰) or L-ascorbic acid (AsAc) as reducing agents. The as-synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by FT-IR, TGA, FE-SEM and TEM analyses. FT-IR results suggested the formation of polymer chains covalently attached to the TiO₂ nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were found to be imbedded in polymer matrices as revealed by TEM and FE-SEM images. TGA curves demonstrated that AsAc afforded the faster grafting rate over Cu⁰.