Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011
Polymeric nanocoatings have drawn considerable attention, in recent years, due to improvements in various properties including scratch resistance, abrasion resistance, heat stability as well as other mechanical properties [1-3].Different meal oxide nanoparticles have been employed s filler, in particular SiO2, TiO2 and ZnO were deeply investigated in literature [4].The use of inorganic particles in the nanoscale range is particularly attractive with the aim of improving the polymer properties by controlling the degree of interaction between the polymer and the nanofiller [5]. As inorganic fillers a range of different metal-oxide particles can be dispersed in the polymeric matrix [6-8]. Particularly attractive is the use of inorganic particles in the nanoscale range with the aim of improving the properties of the polymers by controlling the degree of interaction between the polymer and the nanofillers [9] via a top-down approach.One major problem with nanosized particles is their homogeneous dispersion within the organic matrix avoiding macroscopic phase separation. An in-situ approach of preparing nanoparticles using sol-gel precursors is appealing for this reason; it involves a series of hydrolysis and condensation reactions starting from a hydrolyzable multifunctional metal-alcoxide as precursor for the inorganic domain formation [10] (bottom-up approach).The use of suitable coupling agent permits to obtain a strictly interconnected network preventing macroscopic phase separation. The coupling agent provides bonding between the organic and the inorganic phases, therefore well-dispersed nanostructured phases may result [11] and hybrid organic-inorganic materials are achieved.