Effect of melt processing conditions on the morphology and properties of nylon 6 nanocomposites

Nylon 6 (PA-6) organoclay nanocomposites were prepared by melt processing using three different twin screw extruders (TSEs). The effect of mixing conditions, feed port location, residence time, and number of extrusion passes on the morphology and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were examined. Wide-angle X-ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and mechanical property data are reported. Particle analyses were performed on the TEM images to quantitatively characterize the extent of exfoliation. The amount of shear and the mixing conditions created by TSEs have a significant effect on the morphology and properties of PA-6 nanocomposites. Morphology and mechanical property results show that (1) melting the polymer before coming into contact with the organoclay followed by a low level of shear and (2) maintaining a medium level of shear throughout the extruder with a longer residence time lead to extremely high platelet dispersion and matrix reinforcement for PA-6 nanocomposites. Nanocomposites formed in a DSM microcompounder showed similar morphologies and modulus trends as those obtained with conventional TSEs; thus, this microcompounder is a good alternative for nanocomposite research especially when only small amounts of material are available.