This contribution reports the synthesis and characterization of stereochemically controlled, as well as crystalline stereocomplex, P(MMA)-clay nanocomposites using metallocene complexes and alane-intercalated clay activators. The ligand elimination and exchange reactions involving Lewis acids E(C6F5)(3) (E = Al, B) and an organically modified montmorillonite clay were employed to synthesize the alane-intercalated clay activators. When combined with dimethyl metallocenes of various symmetries, these clay activators brought about efficient MMA polymerizations leading to in situ polymerized, stereochemically controlled P(MMA)-intercalated clay nanocomposites. The most noticeable thermal property enhancement observed for the clay nanocomposite P(MMA), when compared with the pristine P(MMA) having similar molecular weight and stereomicrostructure, has a considerable increase in T-g (>= 10 degrees C). Mixing of dilute THF solutions of two diastereomeric nanocomposites in a 1:2 isotactic to syndiotactic ratio, followed by reprecipitation or crystallization procedures, yielded unique double-stranded helical stereocomplex P(MMA)-clay nanocomposites with a predominantly exfoliated clay morphology. Remarkably, the resulting crystalline stereocomplex P(MMA) matrix is resistant to the boiling-THF extraction and its clay nanocomposites exhibit high T-m of 201 to 210 degrees C. Furthermore, the stereocomplex P(MMA)-clay nanocomposite shows a one-step, narrow decomposition temperature window and a single, high maximum rate decomposition temperature of 377 degrees C. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.