Controlling the Miscibility of Polyolefin/Layered Silicates Nanocomposites by Altering the Polymer/Surface Interactions

摘要

The addition of inorganic substances to polymeric materials leads to hybrids with lower permeability to gases, higher heat and flame resistance, increased mechanical properties and smaller cost than the parent polymers. The special scientific and technological interest lately in layered-silicate based polymer nanocomposites emerged from the early findings of remarkably enhanced mechanical and thermal properties with low loading of silicate. Besides, it has been shown that it is possible to melt-mix polymers with clays without the use of organic solvents. This mixing results in three different micro- or nano-structures, the phase separated composites, where the polymer and inorganic material are immisible, the intercalated, where the polymer chain resides between the inorganic layers, and the exfoliated where the silicate layers are dispersed in the polymer matrix.