In Situ Ring-Opening Polymerization of -lactide on the Surface of Pristine and Aminated Silica: Synthesis and Metal Ions Extraction.

The development of functional materials from food waste sources and minerals is currently of high importance. In the present work, polylactic acid (PLA)/silica composites were prepared by ring-opening polymerizations of -lactide onto the surface of pristine (Silochrom) and amine-functionalized (Silochrom-NH) silica. The characteristics of the ring-opening polymerization onto the surface of modified and unmodified silica were identified and discussed.

Modified silicas with different structure of grafted methylphenylsiloxane layer.

The method of a chemical assembly of the surface polymeric layer with high contents of the modifying agent was developed. Powders of nanodispersed silica with chemisorbed polymethylphenylsiloxane (PMPS) were synthesized by solvent-free chemical assembly technique with a dimethyl carbonate (DMC) as scission agent. Samples were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and elemental analysis (CHN analysis).