SYNTHESIS OF PAN/CLAY NANOCOMPOSITES: STUDY OF GAS PERMEATION PROPERTIES

Polymer based composites have received high interest due to their unusual combination of stiffness an d toughness that are difficult to attain from individual components. For this reason, they have been widely used in areas of transportation, construction, electronics and consumer products. Nanocomposites exhibiting a change in composition and structure over a nanometer length scale have been shown over the last few years to afford remarkable property enhancements relative to conventional composites. Organically modified clays can be effective reinforcing agents in manufactured polymer-clay nanocomposites. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/clay nanocomposites were prepared by the emulsifier free emulsion polymerization with variable power and frequency of ultrasound. The ultrasound waves of powers of 80 watt and 120 watt at frequencies of 60 KHz and 80 KHz were applied to assist the dispersion of organically modified clay with polymer matrix. The structure and morphology of nanocomposites were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The oxygen permeability of the samples was measured by gas permeameter. A substantial reduction in oxygen permeability was observed by increasing clay loading and through sonication.