Using Thermal Analysis to Develop Strategies for Preparing Epoxy Clay Hybrid (ECH) Nanocomposite Enhanced Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites

摘要

Renewed interest in the interlayer structure and molecular environment of alkylammonium layered silicates occurred in the 1990s following Toyota's Patent on the preparation, via in situ polymerization, of nylon-6 clay-hybrid nanocomposites. Characterization of the thin film formed by the ammonium ion-clay exchange reaction is typically performed by X-ray diffraction analysis (Lagaly-1981, -1986). These data led to the deduction that the structure of the alkylammonium ions in the thin film formed between the interlayers of 2/1 clay minerals varies potentially from monolayers to paraffin-type arrangements, with interlayer cation density and alkyl chain length being the controlling factors. Recent studies that also use differential scanning calorimetry as a characterization tool, indicate that the number of alkyl chains on the ammonium ion (Osman-2004) and the washing procedure (Elban-2012) may also influence the interlayer structure and molecular environment. The structure of these ultrathin films is thought to have a profound impact on polymer clay nanocomposite formation through particle-particle and particle-matrix interactions. The implication of these results with respect to the formation of in situ polymerized epoxy clay-hybrid nanocomposite formation will be discussed.