Influence of addition of organoclays on morphologies in nylon 6/LLDPE blends

Polymer blend nanocomposites containing linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), nylon 6 and organoclays were prepared by melt mixing, and their morphologies and structures were examined with a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and an X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The size of phase-separated domains decreased considerably with increasing content of organoclay. The d-spacing of organoclay in the nanocomposites was increased from about 18.6 to over 28 angstrom. This effect was highly dependent on nylon 6 contents because nylon 6 is more polar and shows higher affinity to the organoclays compared to LLDPE.