Two kinds of polyvinyl chloride (PVC)/ montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposites were prepared by the melt intercalation method based on a thermally stable, rigid-rod aromatic amine modifier and a commonly used 1-hexadecylamine. The information on morphological structure of PVC/MMT nanocomposites was obtained using XRD and TEM. The mechanical, thermal, and flame retardant properties of the nanocomposites were characterized by universal tester, DMA, TGA, and cone calorimeter. The degree of degradation of PVC was studied by 1 H-NMR.MMT treated by the aromatic amine exhibited better dispersibility than that treated by 1-hexadecylamine. The nanocomposites, based on this MMT, consequently exhibited better mechanical, thermal, and flame retardant properties and lower degradation degree than those based on 1-hexadecylamine-treated MMT
ABSTRACT:A novel aromatic amine organo-modifier synthesized in our previous work was used to treat montmorillonite (MMT) and the organo-modified MMT was used to prepare poly(etherimide) (PEI)/MMT nanocomposites by a melt intercalation method. MMT treated by this amine exhibited large layer-to-layer spacing and a high ion-exchange ratio (Ͼ95%). The nanocomposites were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic mechanical analysis, a universal tester, thermogravimetric analysis, and by differential scanning calorimetry. The results of XRD and TEM showed that the nanocomposites formed exfoliated structures even when the MMT content was 10 wt %. When the MMT content was below 3 wt %, the PEI/MMT nanocomposites were strengthened and toughened at the same time. The nanocomposites also showed marked decreases in coefficient of thermal expansion and solvent uptake.
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