Polymer Engineering and Science, Vol.47, No.3, 235-243, 2007
Preparation and characterization of polyether-block-amide copolymer/clay nanocomposites
A polyether-block-amide copolymer was successfully blended with eight organoclays and one sodium montmorillonite by melt processing technique to form nanocomposites. X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimeter analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, tensile test, and linear viscoelastic analysis were used to characterize the hybrids. The molecular structure of the surfactants in the organoclays was found having a significant impact on the viscoelasticity and the d-spacing gain of the clays. Hybrids from organoclays using surfactants with a single long alkyl tail had a higher d-spacing gain than those from organoclays using surfactants with two long alkyl tails. The melt viscoelasticity was found excellently correlated to the d-spacing gain and hence the linear viscoelasticity could be an excellent indicator for platelet organization in the composites. The melt viscoelasticity is fairly correlated to the tensile modulus and glass transition temperature of the soft and hard segment, implying that the platelet organization plays a role in these properties. Properties such as melting point, thermal degradation temperature, elongation at break, and tensile strength are not correlated to the viscoelasticity. The failure indicates that these properties are irrelevant to or less influenced by the platelet organization.