Modified acrylonitrile butadiene styrene zinc oxide nanocomposites

Abstract

The thesis focussed on the development of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene newline(ABS)/ZnO composites and utilization of its potential properties such as antibacterial, newlineand superoleophilicity for specific applications. ABS polymer gained industrial newlineimportance due to its good mechanical properties, processability, and very low newlineconductivity. The properties of ABS can be further modified by additives, polymers or newlinenanofillers. However, its applicability is limited due to its low interfacial adhesion. In newlineorder to enhance the filler adhesion properties, here we grafted maleic anhydride (MA) newlineon ABS polymer using peroxide as the free radical initiator in an internal mixer. The newlineZnO is promising and versatile inorganic antibacterial filler for polymeric materials. In newlineaddition to antibacterial activity, it exhibited photocatalytic and piezoelectric properties. newlineAlso it possess high chemical and thermal stability. newlineThis thesis has six chapters including an introduction followed by four working newlinechapters and an overall conclusion. The first chapter briefly describes polymer newlinenanocomposites, various nanofillers, antibacterial materials, polymer coatings, newlinemembranes and fabrication techniques. Literature review, scope and objectives of this newlinework have also been discussed at the end of the first Chapter. The materials and newlineexperimental procedures have been given separately at the beginning of each working newlinechapters. newlineChapter 2 describes the preparation and properties of maleic anhydride grafted ABS newline(MA-g-ABS) samples using an internal mixer. The parameters such as mixing newlinetemperature and MA content in the grafting reaction were optimized. Degree of grafting newline(DG) and amount of unsaturation in MA-g-ABS samples were determined by back newlinetitration and iodine value tests respectively. Different characterizations such as Fourier newlinetransform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis, thermogravimetric newlineanalysis (TGA) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were used newlineto characterize the samples.