Preparation and characterization of PBT nanocomposites compounded with different montmorillonites

Because of their superior mechanical and thermal properties, light weight, and favorable cost/performance ratio, nanocomposite materials appear to be suitable replacements for metals and alloys in many industrial applications in fields such as automotive, structural plastics, electronics, packaging, and so on (1). The technological relevance of this large-scale market for polymers is evidenced by the numerous patents issued over the last few years, even though only few applications have entered the market. Polymer-clay nanocomposite systems were successfully prepared by melt compounding using several thermoplastic matrices (polyamides, polyolefins, etc.), but few data are reported in the scientific literature on polyester-based nanocomposites (2). Because of the high commercial relevance of polyesters, we have investigated the effect of organoclay inclusion on the structure and properties of these hybrid systems. In particular, we have studied the relationships between processing conditions, hybrid composition (organoclay type and content), nanoscale morphology and properties of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) nanocomposites based upon several commercial organo-modified montmorillonites at different weight percentages. The melt compounding was per-formed using a twin-screw extruder, at extrusion rates of 90 or 150 rpm. (C) 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.