**2.3. Material characterization by SEM, FTIR, TGA**

PAQ composite samples prepared in the last section were coated with gold and then were imaged by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM, FEI Nova NanoSEM450, USA) operating at 5 kV. Both surface and cross section of samples were examined by SEM. Examination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, Bruker Vertex 70, USA) spectra for all compo‐ site samples was performed under conditions that FTIR data were taken from 500 to 4000 cm‐1. OMNIC software (Thermo Electron Corporation) was used to correct and normalize the baseline of FTIR spectra. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) of all composite samples were performed by the TGA Q600 (TA Instrument, USA). Thermograms of samples were recorded between 36 and 600°C at a heating rate of 10°C/min and a nitrogen flow of 100 mL/min. TA Universal Analysis 2000 (TA Instrument, USA) was used to calculate the percentage of weight loss, the first derivatives of the thermograms (DTG), and the decomposition temperatures.
