Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(Trimethylene Terephthalate) Nanocomposites with Organoclay

Abstract

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/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 (XRD) showed that the layers of MMT were enlarged by CPC. Four nanocomposites with organoclay contents of 1, 5, 10, and 15 wt % were prepared by solution blending. XRD showed that the interlayer spacing of organoclay in the nanocomposites depends on the amount of organoclay. The nucleating effect of organoclay is investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Clay behaves as a nucleating agent and enhances the crystallization rate of PTT. Maximum enhancement in crystallization rate for the nanocomposites was observed in blends containing ca. 10 wt % of clay in the range of 1-15 wt %. From thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), we found that the thermal stability of the nanocomposites was enhanced by the addition of 10 wt % of organoclay. According to transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the organoclay particle was highly dispersed in the PTT matrix without a large agglomeration of particles for low organoclay content (5wt%). Agglomerated structure did form in the PTT matrix at 15 wt % organoclay content.