Comparison of nanocomposites based on nylon 6 and nylon 66

Nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 organoclay nanocomposites were prepared by melt processing using a twin screw extruder. The effects of polyamide type and processing temperature on the mechanical properties and the morphology of the nanocomposites were examined. Mechanical properties, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), percentage crystallinity and isothermal thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) data are reported. A particle analysis was performed to quantitatively characterize the morphology; these results are later employed in modeling the modulus of these materials using composite theory. No significant difference was observed in the mechanical properties and morphology of PA-6 nanocomposites processed at two different temperatures. PA-6 nanocomposites had superior mechanical properties than those made from PA-66. The tensile strength of PA-66 nanocomposites deviated from linearity at high levels of MMT. WAXD and TEM results show that the PA-6 nanocomposites are better exfoliated than the PA-66 nanocomposites, which exhibit a mixture of intercalated and exfoliated structures. Mechanical properties were consistent with the morphology. DSC reveals a higher percentage of crystallinity in the PA-66 samples. Isothermal TGA shows only a 5% difference in the degradation of the organic modifier on the organoclay processed at 240 degreesC versus 270 degreesC. Particle analysis shows a higher average particle length and thickness. and a lower average particle density and aspect ratio in nanocomposites based on PA-66 versus PA-6. The Halpin-Tsai and Mori-Tanaka composite theories predict satisfactorily the behavior of the PA-6 nanocomposites, while the PA-66 nanocomposites were predicted acceptably up to a certain volume fraction where the non-linear behavior takes effect. All the results indicate that there is a lower degree of exfoliation in the nanocomposites produced with a PA-66 matrix apparently stemming from the chemical differences between PA-6 and PA-66. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.