Fabrication of triacetylcellulose-SiO2 nanocomposites by surface modification of silica nanoparticles.

We have successfully fabricated triacetylcellulose (TAC) polymer-silica nanocomposite films having up to 40 wt % of incorporated silica nanoparticles by deliberately designing a surface ligand that has a structure similar to that of polymer repeating units and effectively modifying the surface of silica nanoparticles through chemical bonding. Cross-sectional TEM analysis reveals no significant aggregation in all TAC-silica nanocomposite films. Thermal analysis results suggested that TAC-silica nanocomposites had higher T(g) and T(c) values as compared to pure TAC, and the increase in T(g) and T(c) was affected by the silica content.