Interfacial Effects in Montmorillonite Filled Polyester Thin Films

摘要

The behavior of thin supported and non-supported films has been shown to be distinct from the bulk polymer.Separately, high surface area fillers such as montomorillonite layered silicates (MLS) result in improved properties. In thisstudy, we investigate thin films of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with MLS. The thermal expansivity and glass transitiontemperature (Tg) were determined using ellipsometry. The results show that with increasing MLS concentration, theglass transition drops for the thin and thick film plateaus. For intermediate thicknesses, a modest influence of the MLSpolymer interface on the characteristic length is found. The liquid layer thickness decreases with increased MLS presence.