Preparation of the polymer–clay nanocomposites in exfoliated state by interface stabilization

Abstract

AbstractTo suppress the repulsive interfacial energy between hydrophilic clay and a hydrophobic polymer matrix for polymer–clay nanocomposites, a third component of amphiphilic nature such as poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) (PCL) was introduced into the styrene–acrylonitrile copolymers (SAN)/Na‐montmorillonite system. Once ϵ‐caprolactone was polymerized in the presence of Na‐montmorillonite, the successful ring‐opening polymerization of ϵ‐caprolactone and the well‐developed exfoliated structure of PCL/Na‐montmorillonite mixture were confirmed. Thereafter, SAN was melt‐mixed with PCL/Na‐montmorillonite nanocomposite, and the SAN matrix and PCL fraction were completely miscible to form a homogeneous mixture with retention of the exfoliated state of Na‐montmorillonite, exhibiting that PCL effectively stabilizes the repulsive polymer–clay interface and contributes to the improvement of the mechanical properties of nanocomposites. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 246–252, 2004