Synthesis and characterization of bismaleimide-polyetherimide-silica hybrid by sol-gel process†

A ternary hybrid of bismaleimide-polyetherimide-silica (BMI-PEI-SiO2) was synthesized by sol-gel reaction and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results indicated that silica could be introduced into the blend of thermoplastic-thermosetting system by sol-gel reaction and dispersed uniformly as nanoparticles. The phase separation of BMI-PEI was not affected apparently by the presence of silica. The coupling agent 3-aminopropyl (triethoxy)silane was chosen to enhance the interaction between the polymer-matrix and silica. Thermal properties and mechanical properties of the hybrids both were improved with increasing silica content. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.