Thermal behaviour of poly(dimethylsiloxane) hybrid silicas prepared by radiation grafting

This paper reports our investigation regarding the thermal properties of new polymer-silica hybrid materials obtained by radiation grafting. The polymer poly(dimethylsiloxane), bis(3-aminopropyl)terminated is c-grafted on a silica gel surface. The thermal behaviour of gamma-grafted hybrid materials reveals remarkable differences compared to the thermal behaviour of physically adsorbed polymers. These differences allow us to assess the ability of gamma-rays to produce a polymer chemically bonded on a silica surface. The chemical bonds formed by irradiation give to the polymer a high conformational stability confirmed by DTA analysis.