Preparation and Characterization of Poly(Butylene Terephthalate)/Organoclay Nanocomposites

Abstract

Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposites were prepared by solution intercalation method. The clay was organo-modified with intercalation agent of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC). Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) indicated that the layers of clay were intercalated by CPC. The WAXD studies showed that the interlayer spacing of organoclay in the nanocomposites depends on the amount of organoclay. From the results of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis it was found that clay behaves as a nucleating agent and enhances the crystallization rate of PBT. The Maximum enhancement of the crystallization rate for the nanocomposites was observed in nanocomposites containing about 5 wt % organoclay with a range of I - 15 wt %. From thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), we found that the thermal stability of the nanocomposites was enhanced by the addition of I wt % of organoclay. The thermal stability of PBT/organoclay nanocomposites is related to the organoclay content and the dispersion in the PBT matrix.