Preparation and properties of nylon-1010/montmorillonite nanocomposites by melt intercalation

Two types of nylon-1010/MMT nanocomposites were successfully prepared by melt intercalation using a corotating twin-screw extruder. The nanocomposites were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). It was found that the difference in the properties of the two types of the organo-MMTs directly influences the structure and the properties of the obtained nanocomposites. The results of XRD and TEM showed that the DK2-MMT nanocomposites possess an exfoliated structure and the nanocomposites containing 16C-MMT exist as intercalated structures. The mechanical properties of the nylon-1010/organo-MMTs nanocomposites were better than those of the pure nynon-1010. In addition, the properties of the DK2-MMT nanocomposites were superior to those of the 16C-MMT nanocomposites because of the different dispersibility of the two organo-MMTs. The thermal stability of the nanocomposites was improved. The storage moduli of the nanocomposites increased and the glass-transition temperature shifted to a slightly higher temperature because of the introduction of the organo-MMTs. The addition of DK2-MMT into the nylon-1010 matrix accelerated the crystallization rate of the matrix. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.