Formation and properties of nylon 6 nanocomposites

Abstract

Sodium montmorillonite clay consists of platelets, one nanometer thick with large lateral dimensions, which can be used to achieve efficient reinforcement of polymer matricies. Formation of these nanocomposites requires modifying the clay with an appropriate organic surface treatment adn optimized processing. Some of these techniques and the resulting property improvements (modulus, thermal expansion, heat distortion temperature, etc.) are reviewed here. It is shown that shear stress exerted on stacks of clay platelets play an imiportant role in the mechanism of exfooliation. The modulus enhancement observed is of the order predicted by composite theories; however, the clay particles clearly affect the crystalline morphology of the polymer phase which may have an additional effect on some composite properties.