Dorota Czarnecka-Komorowska

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes as modifiers of polyoxymethylene structure

In this paper the influence of silsesquioxanes (POSS) on crystallization behaviour of polyoxymethylene (POM) during non-isothermal crystallization was investigated by polarized light microscope (PLM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The study concerns polyoxymethylene (POM) and nanocomposites containing POSS’s with different organic functional groups ePOSS, vPOSS and hPOSS (0.5% and 1% by weight). The nucleation effectiveness was assessed by DSC determination of crystallization temperature and by optical measurement of nucleation density and spherulites dimensions. An increase of crystallization temperature alone with a decrease of the average spherulites dimension deliver a proof of a nucleation – like activity of hPOSS. An additionally effect observed for POPSS modified POM was a higher homogeneity of the morphology.

Effect of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane on the Melting, Structure, and Mechanical Behavior of Polyoxymethylene

The effects of octakis[(3-glycidoxypropyl)dimethylsiloxy]octasilsesquioxane (GPOSS) on the crystallinity, crystal structure, morphology, and mechanical properties of polyoxymethylene (POM) and POM/GPOSS composites were investigated. The POM/GPOSS composites with varying concentrations of GPOSS nanoparticles (0.05–0.25 wt %) were prepared via melt blending. The structure of POM/GPOSS composites was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and polarized light microscopy (PLM). The mechanical properties were determined by standardized tensile tests. The morphology and dispersion of GPOSS nanoparticles in the POM matrix were investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. It was observed that the dispersion of the GPOSS nanoparticles was uniform. Based on DSC studies, it was found that the melting temperature, lamellar thickness, and the degree of crystallinity of the POM/GPOSS composites increased. The POM/GPOSS composites showed an increased Young’s modulus and tensile strength. Finally, compared with the pure POM, the addition of GPOSS reduced the spherulites’ size and improved the crystallinity of the POM, which demonstrates that the nucleation effect of GPOSS is favorable for the mechanical properties of POM.