Thermal stability and abrasion resistance of polyacrylate/nano-silica hybrid coatings

Polyacrylate (PAE)/nano-silica (SiO₂) hybrids were prepared by an in situ sol–gel process of tetraethyl orthosilicate in the presence of PAE toluene solution. The hybrid coatings were fabricated using a PAE/SiO₂ suspension by the traditional casting. Their intermolecular interaction and morphology, as well as thermal, mechanical, and optical properties, were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscope, differential scanning calorimetry and TG/DTA thermogravimetric analysis, coating impact testing, and UV–Vis spectroscopy, respectively. At the same time, their abrasive properties were carried out by abrasion resistance and nanoindentation tests. The results indicate that silica nanoparticles, with diameter about 30 nm, can disperse homogeneously in the PAE matrix, where hydrogen bonds between the PAE and nano-silica are formed. Therefore, homogeneous dispersion of nano-silica particles provides high transparency for the PAE/SiO₂ hybrid coating as the size of nano-silica phase is much smaller than the wavelength (390–770 nm) of visible light. PAE/nano-silica hybrid coatings have increased T _g and thermal stability including the onset decomposition temperature, 10 % weight loss temperature, and char at 700 °C. Additionally, the incorporation of nano-silica particles improves the glossiness of the PAE/nano-silica hybrid coatings and enhances their abrasion resistance and surface hardness. The nano-silica content has obvious effect on the thermal, mechanical, optical, and anti-abrasion properties of PAE/SiO₂ hybrid coatings. With the consideration of all the properties of hybrid coatings, the PAE/SiO₂ hybrid containing 10 phr of nano-silica has the optimal composition. These PAE/nano-silica hybrid coatings have potential applications in high-performance hologram image recording.