Multifunctional polymer/inorganic hybrid nanoparticles with controlled structure
- Autores: Olaia Álvarez Bermúdez
- Directores de la Tesis: Rafael Muñoz Espí (dir. tes.), Katharina Landfester (codir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat de València ( España ) en 2019
- Idioma: español
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Silvia Gross (presid.), Kai Zhang (secret.), Yitzhak Mastai (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa Oficial de Doctorado en Química
- Materias:
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- Resumen
Hybrids and composite materials offer a synergic combination of polymer and inorganic features. The integration of specific functionalities at the nanoscale leads to the improvement of the characteristics of macroscopic materials. In this context, the attractiveness of multifunctional polymer–inorganic nanoparticles is remarkable. The relative arrangement of the components forming the hybrid nanostructure determines the accessibility of the functionalities, the properties, and the applicability of the material. Colloidal methods have been traditionally used for the preparation of hybrid nanoparticles, but the precise control of their morphology remains still a challenge.
The objective of this thesis is to establish the bases for the preparation of multifunctional polymer–metal oxide hybrid nanoparticles and capsules with a morphology controlled according to the application. The miniemulsion technique was used to overcome the structural restrictions of other synthetic platforms. For this aim, inorganic species with complementary catalytic (ceria and titania) and magnetic (magnetite) properties were simultaneously incorporated within different polymer supports (polystyrene, PMMA, and polyurethane) via miniemulsion polymerization processes and their variations. The inorganic species were functionalized with different silanes. The control of the hybrid morphology was approached by tuning the differences of polarity and the interfacial chemistry involved between the inorganic functionalities and the polymer. The chemical structure of the coupling agent was related to the specific deposition of metal oxides nanoparticles on the polymer surface, within the matrix or to the formation of Janus-like structures. The control allowed by this strategy was used for the preparation of magnetoresponsive polymer-supported catalysts. The catalytic functionalities were also incorporated by functionalization of the polymer surface with chiral units of amino acids. The hybrid nanoparticles were proposed for heterogeneous and enantioselective catalysis with industrial relevance. In addition, miniemulsions were used for the preparation of a specific type of particles with a liquid core (capsules), which were exploited for the encapsulation of hydrated salts as phase change materials for energy storage applications. The efficiency and scalability of the synthetic strategy was studied and related to the performance of the product in energy-related applications. In this fashion, the work proposes the substitution of traditional surfactants by surface active monomers (surfmers) and inorganic nanoparticles as functional emulsifiers.
In summary, this thesis proves the versatility of the miniemulsion technique as a synthetic platform for the preparation of multifunctional hybrid nanomaterials with a controlled structure for catalytic and energy–related applications.
