Poly(methyl methacrylate) composites of copper-4,4′-trimethylenedipyridine

Abstract

We prepared a series of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composites with a novel one dimensional coordination polymer copper-4,4′-trimethylenedipyridine (CU-TMDP). The CU-TMDP was sonicated in a methyl methacrylate monomer and polymerized in situ. Thermal, mechanical and optical properties of CU-TMDP–PMMA composites were probed via optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), microhardness, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The CU-TMDP was characterized by X-ray crystallography. The functionality of the CU-TMDP interacted with the polymer matrix such that mechanical properties are tuned by varying CU-TMDP loadings. The data point to the fact that interactions are primarily due to London dispersion forces or dipole–dipole interactions. This initial study forms the basis for future applications requiring tailored mechanical properties.