ABSTRACT
Polymer nanocomposites (PNC) are emerging as a new class of industrially important materials that offer improvements over conventional composite systems. The high aspect ratio of the nano particles leads to higher reinforcement efficiency and therefore higher specific modulus, strength and HDT. The low organoclay content (< 5% by weight) also guarantees good processabilty as well as higher recyclability potential. In this work, the crystalline structure, mechanical behavior and the injection-molding of polyamide 6 (PA6) reinforced with 2 wt.% polymer-intercalated nano-layered silicate (montmorillonite) is studied. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry show that the presence of layered silicate in PA6 nanocomposites lead to the formation of a different crystalline structure when compared with unmodified PA6. Considerably improved tensile strength and modulus obtained from the nano-layered silicates while maintaining the ductility of the PA6 matrix indicate that strong matrix-filler ionic interactions and very high specific area and aspect ratio of the polymer intercalated-layered silicates characterized this nanocomposite. In the conditioned state, while an elasto-plastic fracture with extensive tearing is observed in unmodified PA6, a linear-elastic fracture is observed in the PA6 nanocomposite.
