Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
Poly(phenyleneterephthalamide) chains having carbonyl chloride end groupswere prepared by reacting a mixture of m- and p--phenylene diamines with terephthaloyl chloride, andwere then end-capped with aminophenyl-trimethoxysilane. The polymer thusprepared was used to synthesize a hybrid material in which it was chemicallybonded to a silica network produced in-situ by hydrolyzingtetramethoxysilane. Films prepared from this hybrid material were yellow buttransparent, and quite tough. The transparency of the films and theirmechanical strength were considerably improved relative to the correspondingsystems in which the inorganic network was not bonded to the organic phase.Tensile strength was found to increase initially with addition of silica butthen to decrease rapidly with further additions. Elongation at rupture alsodecreased after an initial small increase. A systematic increase in thetensile modulus and hardness with increase in the silica content and adecrease in water absorption were also observed. SEM analysis showed thatthe silica particle size depends on the silica content, and was 0.5 μm orless. These transparent ceramers were found to withstand tensile stressesthe order of 175 MPa and had thermal decomposition temperatures around 460 -475 ° C, and could thus be very useful in engineering applications at hightemperatures.