Modified polymeric materials


Radka Bačovská


Most commercially synthesized polymers are created from mainly organic chains. Their properties can
be modified using a wide range of both organic and inorganic additives, e.g. phosphazene
derivatives. These derivatives display a number of beneficial properties (e.g. hydrophobicity),
which may be transferred to their mixtures with polymers.


Phosphazene derivatives can be formed as either monomers or polymers. They contain a backbone of
alternating phosphorus and nitrogen atoms with two organic, organometallic or inorganic side groups
linked to each phosphorus atom.


Our research focuses on synthesizing fully substituted phosphazene monomers and phosphazene
polymers containing different side groups.


Some of the synthesized phosphazene derivatives, which displayed the required properties, were then
used as additives into some commercial polymers. From the resulting mixture, the nanofibres were
created using electrospinning technology.

These nanofibres were later tested for their hydrophobic properties, in order to gauge their
potential for practical application.