Self-assembly of vermiculite-polymer composite films with improved mechanical and gas barrier properties

Abstract

Well-defined vermiculite nanolayers have been exfoliated from nature mineral by a simple water-assisted anion-exchange approach. By self-assembly of vermiculite nanolayers with poly (vinyl alcohol), highly oriented vermiculite-polymer composite films were successfully achieved under the hydrogen bond interaction. The vermiculite nanolayers dispersed well in polymer matrix, inducing a long gas diffusion length and strong diffusion resistance. As expected, the mechanical strength and gas barrier property of the composite film with 12% vermiculite is improved by 43% and 63.7%, respectively. This work provides not only a cost-effective approach to obtain vermiculite nanolayers from nature mineral but also a promising route to fabricate food/drug packaging materials with good gas barrier properties.