Preparation and Characterization of Poly(benzimidazole-amide)/ZnO Nanocomposites Using Silane Coupling Agent

Some novel nanocompoites were fabricated via zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles which was modified by 3-aminopropyltriethoxylsilane (KH550) as a coupling agent. Poly(benzimidazole-amide) (PBIA) was synthesized via polymerization reaction of 1,3-bis(5-amino-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)benzene (3a) with isophthaloyl chloride (4b) and used as a polymer matrix. PBIA/ZnO nanocompoites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). FE-SEM and TEM analysis showed that the modified ZnO nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed in polymer matrix. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data indicated an enhancement of thermal stability of nanocomposite compared with the pure polymer.