Dimer Fatty Acid-Based Polyamides POSS (BP-POSS) Nanocomposites: Dielectric, Thermal, Structural Properties, and Kinetics of Thermal Degradation Studies

A comprehensive thermal degradation analysis was carried out on pure bio-polymer (dimer fatty acid-based polyamides) and dimer fatty acid-based polyamides-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (BP-POSS) nanocomposite to assess their thermal degradation through kinetics. BP-POSS nanocomposites were prepared using biodegradable biopolymer, i.e., Dimer fatty acid-based polyamides (pure BP) with 12.5 wt% of POSS nanomaterial by simple solvent casting. The molecular weight of pure BP and BP-POSS nanocomposites were measured by gel permeation chromatography. The prepared biopolymer nanocomposites were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to understand physical coordination between the polymer and POSS nanomaterial. Studies on frequency and Temperature dependent dielectric properties, viz. dielectric loss, dielectric permittivity, and AC conductivity were done on pure-BP and BP-POSS nanocomposites at room temperature and at 1 kHz, respectively. Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, Friedman, and Coats–Redfern methods were used to calculate activation energies of pure-BP and BP-POSS nanocomposites. Remarkable thermal stability was observed in BP-POSS 12.5 wt% nanocomposite owing to the reinforcement of POSS molecules. A nth order reaction kinetic model was projected for the degradation process of pure BP and its 12.5 wt% of POSS nanocomposites; the represented model was examined by correlating the experimental and simulated conversion thermogram; lifetime estimation of the pure BP and BP-POSS nanocomposites is reported.