Preparation and Properties of Unsaturated Polyester Nanocomposites Based on Silylated Sepiolite Nanofibers

The novel surface-modified sepiolite/unsaturated polyester (sepiolite/UP) nanocomposites were prepared by in situ polymerization. Sepiolite fibers were first organo-modified by grafting of vinyltriethoxysilane (VTS) containing a double bond onto the surfaces and used as nanofillers. The morphology of sepiolites and nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Moreover, the thermal properties were determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the thermal degradation mechanism was discussed. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 119: 3043-3050, 2011