Surface mechanical properties of transparent poly(methyl methacrylate)/zirconia nanocomposites prepared by in situ bulk polymerization

Poly(methyl methacrylate)/zirconia (PMMA/ZrO2) nanocomposites with ZrO2 content as high as 15 wt% were prepared by modifying non-aqueous synthesized ZrO2 nanoparticles with methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) in tetrahydrofuran, dispersing MPS-functionalized ZrO2 nanoparticles in MMA and following in situ bulk polymerization with controlled pre-polymerization time. The MPS-functionalized ZrO2 nanoparticles showed an efficient crosslinking role in the polymerization, leading to a complete gel of PMMA at 5 wt% of ZrO2 content. Homogeneous dispersion of the ZrO2 nanoparticles at primary particle size level was observed in all nanocomposites, which results in good clarity of the obtained nanocomposites. Hardness tests (pendulum hardness tests and indentation tests) and anti-scratch tests (abrasion tests and nano scratch tests) were employed to probe the surface mechanical properties of the nanocomposites. The properties of nanocomposites as a function of ZrO2 content, revealing from various characterization techniques, are not consistent and discussed in detail. At low ZrO2 content, the mechanical properties are enhanced by the formed crosslinking structure. However, remarkable improvements of hardness and scratch resistance of PMMA were achieved when 15 wt% of ZrO2 content was embedded.