Polyimide (PI)-based nanocomposites were prepared by the in-situ generation of
organic silica nano-particles through a sol-gel process, combined with spin coating and multi-step curing process. In this study, silica nano-particles were introduced into the PI matrix to promote its thermal properties. Nanometer-scale composites were successfully obtained from poly(amic acid) (PAA) mixture loaded with silica. 3,3’,4,4’- Biphenyl tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and p-phenylenediamine (p-PDA) were employed to synthesize the PAA precursor. The hybrid thin film was prepared from aminoalkoxysilane-capped PAA and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). In this work, we investigated the effect of coupling agent, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APrTEOS). The TGA results
indicate that the thermal stability of the nanocomposites can be enhanced as silica content increases. Without the incorporation of APrTEOS, less improvement can be achieved.
Characterization of in-situ zirconia/mullite composites prepared by sol-gel technique