Thermal degradation behaviour of montmorillonite-α-naphthylamine complex under nitrogen

Abstract

A thin film of montmorillonite-α-naphthylamine complex (MNC) was prepared, and then subjected to γ-ray radiation and heating to 473 K for polymerization of the inserted naphthylamine. MNC was subsequently heated to various temperatures below 1473 K under nitrogen. Montmorillonite film (Mont) was also treated in the same way as the reference sample. Compared with Mont, the MNC-layered structure was remarkably thermally stable and remained so slightly, even after heating to 1273 K. MNC was found to have a homogeneous porous structure after heating to 1273 K. Through comparison with Mont, the thermal degradation behaviour of MNC is discussed on the basis of X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, TG-DTA, elemental analysis, mass spectrum and SEM observations.