Preparation, characterization and properties of poly (vinyl chloride)/compatibilizer/organophilic-montmorillonite nanocomposites by melt intercalation

Poly (vinyl chloride)/compatibilizer/organophilic-montmorillonite (OMMT) nanocomposites have been prepared by melt intercalation by the masterbatch process. PVC/OMMT nanocomposites have also been prepared by directly blending PVC with OMMT for comparison. All the composites were characterized by Wide-angle X-ray Diffraction (WAXD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The results of WAXD and TEM indicate that PVC/VAc/OMMT nanocomposites with exfoliated structure have been successfully prepared, whilst partially intercalated and partially exfoliated PVC/OMMT nanocomposites have also been produced. Notched Charpy impact strengths of all the composites are dramatically enhanced compared with that of pristine PVC material. PVC/VAc/OMMT nanocomposites show higher values of tensile strength, elongation at break and impact strength than PVC/OMMT nanocomposites, and nanocomposites containing more compatibilizer also display better mechanical properties. Impact strengths also display some peculiar dependence on OMMT content and give a maximum value at certain OMMT loadings, in this paper, 1phr. The OMMT content should be kept below 5phr in order to obtain good mechanical properties. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.