Polyol-Mediated Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanorods and Nanocomposites with Poly(methyl methacrylate)

ZnO nanorods (length 30–150 nm) were synthesized in di(ethylene glycol) using Zn(CH3COO)2 as a precursor and para-toluene sulphonic acid, p-TSA, as an end-capping agent. Increasing the concentration of p-TSA above 0.1 M causes the reduction of the ZnO length. Nanocomposites with poly(methyl methacrylate) were prepared using unmodified nanorods. They enhanced the UV absorption of nanocomposites (~98%) at low ZnO concentrations (0.05–0.1 wt.%), while visible light transparency was high. At concentrations of 1 wt.% and above, nanorods enhanced the thermal stability of nanocomposites. At low concentrations (0.05–0.1 wt.%), they increased the storage modulus of material and shifted Tg towards higher temperatures as shown by dynamic mechanical analysis, DMA, while at higher concentrations (1.0 wt.%) this effect was deteriorated. DMA also showed that spherical ZnO particles have a more pronounced effect on the storage modulus and Tg than nanorods.