Surface-initiated ATRP to modify ZnO nanoparticles with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide): Temperature-controlled switching of photocatalysis

Abstract We reported on the fabrication of thermo-responsive polymers of poly( N -isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) graft ZnO by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) to contribute the characteristics of the grafted PNIPAM, meanwhile, without sacrificing the properties of ZnO. The structures of nanoparticles and the grafted polymer were confirmed by XRD and FT-IR and the interactions between the two components were studied by XPS. The morphology of ZnO NPs-PNIPAM nanocomposites was observed by SEM images and a thin layer of polymers (2 nm) formed around NPs was measured by TEM. EDS mapping images revealed the even distribution polymers on the surface of ZnO NPs. Based on the TG results, the grafting density of ATRP initiators at the surface of ZnO NPs was estimated to be 0.7 nm 2 /initiator. Furthermore, photodegradation of Rhodamine B (Rh-B) in the presence of nanocomposites revealed that ZnO NPs-PNIPAM exhibited photocatalysis, temperature-controlled switching and good recycling performance, indicating the significant potential applications in the practical applications.