Nanoclay/Polymer Composites: Recent Developments and Future Prospects

Abstract

Clay can be counted among the most widely investigated and commercially high demand filler in the polymer industry. Recently there has been a growing interest for the development of polymer/clay nanocomposites due to their superior properties compared to conventional filled polymers even at a very low fraction of filler addition. The easy availability, processability, low cost, and nontoxicity of clay and the advancements in the processing of clay nanocomposites have invited a lot of commercial attention for these materials. The value-added properties enhanced without sacrificing of pure polymer properties make the clays more and more important in the modern polymer industry. Today it finds a wide range of applications ranging from household items to aerospace to medicine. This chapter looks at the chemical and physical aspects of this wonderful material, clay/polymer nanocomposite processing techniques, and the commercial importance of these nanocomposites.

Characterization of clay-modified thermoset polymers under various environmental conditions for the use in high-voltage power pylons

“…These material properties play an important role for the design of high-voltage power pylons exposed to harsh environmental conditions, such as moisture, UV irritation and strong electromagnetic fields. Furthermore, an easy and inexpensive availability, processability and non-toxicity of NC is of high importance among other things, as it has been reported in Dasan 20 and Bensadoun et al, 21 resulting in commercial attention towards these materials. Nowadays, NC is increasingly used in various industries, for example, in automotive, packaging, coating and paints, electronics and aerospace, [22][23][24] to enhance cost-effective, specific material properties, such as stiffness, 25 strength, 26 limited flammability and thermal stability, 27 fracture toughness 28 and viscosity.…”

Nanoclay-based Polymer Nanocomposites for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

“…To avoid this, the surface of the clay is required to be chemically modified. The morphology of clays allows easy surface modification and nanometre dispersion in polymer matrix [35]. New methods of surface modification and nanometre dispersion that increase the interaction between the nanoclay surface and the polymer matrix and providing high exfoliation, orientation, compatibility and reduced reaggregation can be considered as a prospective research idea.…”

Unravelling the thermal behavior and kinetics of unsaturated polyester resin supplemented with organo-nanoclay

“… 3 Indeed, the nanoscale dispersion of the filler phase in the polymer matrix leads to tremendous interfacial contact of the nanoparticles with the polymer matrix, resulting in synergistic improvements in the composite features. 4 Additionally, surface modification of nanoclays with organic molecules has proven to be an effective technique for enhancing the interaction with organic matrices. 5 Smectite, particularly montmorillonite (MMT), is a commonly used nanofiller due to its exceptional properties such as high cation exchange and adsorption capacity as well as swelling behavior.…”