Glass Transition Temperature Behavior Research Articles

Molecular dynamics study on the enhancement of high‐temperature friction and mechanical properties of perfluoroelastomers by carbon nanomaterials

AbstractThe mechanical and frictional properties of pure perfluoroelastomer, graphene (GN)/perfluoroelastomer, and carbon nanotube (CNT)/perfluoroelastomer composite systems were investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The influence of carbon nanomaterials on the glass transition temperature, mechanical properties, and frictional behavior of perfluoroelastomers at various temperatures was evaluated. The simulation results demonstrated that the addition of GN and CNTs increased the glass transition temperature of perfluoroelastomers to varying extents. CNTs enhanced the mechanical properties of perfluoroelastomers more effectively than GN, whereas GN provided superior improvement in frictional properties compared to CNTs. Analysis of stress–strain distribution, atomic motion trajectory, interaction energy, mass density, and temperature distribution, bond orientation parameters, radial distribution function (RDF), mean square displacement (MSD), and diffusion coefficients revealed the mechanisms and differences by which GN and CNTs enhance the mechanical and frictional properties of perfluoroelastomers.Highlights Carbon nanomaterials enhance perfluoroelastomer's high‐temperature performance. CNTs provide higher mechanical strength but lower wear resistance. GN nanosheets outperform CNTs in reducing friction and wear. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal distinct enhancement mechanisms.

Enhancing Polylactic Acid Properties with Graphene Nanoplatelets and Carbon Black Nanoparticles: A Study of the Electrical and Mechanical Characterization of 3D-Printed and Injection-Molded Samples.

This study investigates the enhancement of polylactic acid (PLA) properties through the incorporation of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and carbon black (CB) for applications in 3D printing and injection molding. The research reveals that GNPs and CB improve the electrical conductivity of PLA, although conductivity remains within the insulating range, even with up to 10% wt of nanoadditives. Mechanical characterization shows that nanoparticle addition decreases tensile strength due to stress concentration effects, while dispersants like polyethylene glycol enhance ductility and flexibility. This study compares the properties of materials processed by injection molding and 3D printing, noting that injection molding yields isotropic properties, resulting in better mechanical properties. Thermal analysis indicates that GNPs and CB influence the crystallization behavior of PLA with small changes in the melting behavior. Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA) results show how the glass transition temperature and crystallization behavior fluctuate. Overall, the incorporation of nanoadditives into PLA holds potential for enhanced performance in specific applications, though achieving optimal conductivity, mechanical strength, and thermal properties requires careful optimization of nanoparticle type, concentration, and dispersion methods.

Design and Optimization of NR-Based Stretchable Conductive Composites Filled with MoSi2 Nanoparticles and MWCNTs: Perspectives from Experimental Characterization and Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Stretchable conductive composites play a pivotal role in the development of personalized electronic devices, electronic skins, and artificial implant devices. This article explores the fabrication and characterization of stretchable composites based on natural rubber (NR) filled with molybdenum disilicide (MoSi2) nanoparticles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Experimental characterization and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are employed to investigate the static and dynamic properties of the composites, including morphology, glass transition temperature (Tg), electrical conductivity, and mechanical behavior. Results show that the addition of MoSi2 nanoparticles enhances the dispersion of MWCNTs within the NR matrix, optimizing the formation of a conductive network. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) confirms the Tg reduction with the addition of MWCNTs and the influence of MoSi2 content on Tg. Mechanical testing reveals that the tensile strength increases with MoSi2 content, with an optimal ratio of 4:1 MoSi2:MWCNTs. Electrical conductivity measurements demonstrate that the MoSi2/MWCNTs/NR composites exhibit enhanced conductivity, reaching optimal values at specific filler ratios. MD simulations further support experimental findings, highlighting the role of MoSi2 in improving dispersion and mechanical properties. Overall, the study elucidates the synergistic effects of nanoparticles and nanotubes in enhancing the properties of stretchable conductive composites.

Preparation of polylactic acid (PLA) films plasticized with a renewable and natural Liquidambar Orientalis oil

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a brittle biodegradable thermoplastic due to its relatively high glass transition temperature (Tg ∼ 60 °C). This Tg limits the using of PLA in flexible applications, for example packaging films. In this study, it has been shown for the first time that the Liquidambar Orientalis (LO) oil as a nontoxic, environmentally friendly, and green additive can be successfully used as a natural, renewable, and sustainable plasticizer to produce flexible PLA parts and improve its thermal and physical properties and application potential. Natural oil obtained from Liquidambar Orientalis tree was introduced into PLA (as 10, 20, and 30 phr) by melt compounding (MC) and solution mixing (SM) methods. Effect of LO oil amount on the glass transition temperature, melt and cold crystallization behaviors, and degree of crystallinity values of samples were determined with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In addition, solid state viscoelastic properties of PLA films were also characterized with dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) tests. Results showed that LO oil significantly reduced the Tg and storage modulus (E') value of PLA and LO oil showed an excellent plasticizing effect for PLA due to reducing strong hydrogen bonds and secondary interactions between PLA chains.

Biobased Copolymers via Cationic Ring-Opening Copolymerization of Levoglucosan Derivatives and ε-Caprolactone.

Simultaneous ring-opening copolymerization is a powerful strategy for the synthesis of highly functional copolymers from different types of cyclic monomers. Although copolymers are essential to the plastics industry, environmental concerns associated with current fossil-fuel-based synthetic polymers have led to an increasing interest in the use of renewable feedstock for polymer synthesis. Herein, we report a scalable synthetic platform to afford unique polysaccharides with different pendant functional groups from biomass-derived levoglucosan and ε-caprolactone via cationic ring-opening copolymerization (cROCOP). Biocompatible and recyclable bismuth triflate was identified as the optimal catalyst for cROCOP of levoglucosan. Copolymers from tribenzyl levoglucosan and ε-caprolactone, as well as from tribenzyl and triallyl levoglucosan, were successfully synthesized. The tribenzyl levoglucosan monomer composition ranged from 16% to 64% in the copolymers with ε-caprolactone and 22% to 79% in the copolymers with triallyl levoglucosan. The allylic levoglucosan copolymer can be utilized as a renewably derived scaffold to modify copolymer properties and create other polymer architectures via postpolymerization modification. Monomer reactivity ratios were determined to investigate the copolymer microstructure, indicating that levoglucosan-based copolymers have a gradient architecture. Additionally, we demonstrated that the copolymer glass transition temperature (Tg, ranging from -44.3 to 33.8 °C), thermal stability, and crystallization behavior could be tuned based on the copolymer composition. Overall, this work underscores the utility of levoglucosan as a bioderived feedstock for the development of functional sugar-based copolymers with applications ranging from sustainable materials to biomaterials.

Oxidizability Enhancement of Hydroxyl Terminated Polyether Polyurethane Elastomers via Fluoroalcohols Grafting

AbstractA series of fluoroalcohol grafted hydroxyl‐terminated polyether (HTPE) polyurethanes (PU) elastomers were synthesized by a two‐step method. The reaction progress was investigated by chemical titration and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The glass transition temperature (Tg), mechanical properties, morphology, and thermal decomposition behavior were determined for the preliminary analysis of PUs; the oxidizability property was tested by the decomposition of PU/Al composites. The results of mechanical and morphology properties demonstrated that the mechanical strength of modified PU elastomers was effectively improved for microphase separation of the hard segment. The PU film with the optimized fluoroalcohol content shows excellent performance of 17.7 MPa (tensile strength) and 547 % (elongation at break) at room temperature. Analysis of the thermal behaviors suggests that the oxidation ability of the modified PU is enhanced by the strong electronegativity of fluorine. The oxidizing gas HF, CFx, released during fluoroalcohol decomposition reacts with the alumina shell, releasing internal reactive Al, which improves the activity of the aluminum. This study might provide a new idea for utilizing high‐performance polymer binders in composite solid propellants and casting explosives.

Mechanical properties of various glassy resins/PU semi-interpenetrating polymer networks

In this investigation, we describe the preparation of a novel structured semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (SIPNs) of glassy resins, such as PMMA, PVC, polyester, and epoxy and water dispersible PU as cores and shells, respectively. The synthesis process was monitored by FTIR spectroscopy. The size of the particles was varied by the glassy resins. The glass transition temperature and mechanical behavior of the PU SIPNs were analyzed by DMA and UTM, respectively. The mechanical properties of each type of PU Latex SIPNs were shown superior tensile strength and elongation properties compared to the reference PU Latex.

Tuneable phase behaviour and glass transition via polymerization-induced phase separation in crosslinked step-growth polymers.

Once limited to chain-growth polymerizations, fine control over polymerization-induced phase separation (PIPS) has recently been demonstrated in rubber-toughened thermoset materials formed through step-growth polymerizations. The domain length scales of these thermoset materials can be elegantly tuned by utilizing a binary mixture of curing agents (CAs) that individually yield disparate morphologies. Importantly, varying the composition of the binary mixture affects characteristics of the materials such as glass transition temperature and tensile behavior. Here, we establish a full phase diagram of PIPS in a rubber-toughened epoxy system tuned by a binary CA mixture to provide a robust framework of phase behaviour. X-Ray scattering in situ and post-PIPS is employed to elucidate the PIPS mechanism whereby an initial polymerization-induced compositional fluctuation causes nanoscale phase separation of rubber and epoxy components prior to local chain crosslinking and potential macrophase separation. We further demonstrate the universality of this approach by alternatively employing binary epoxy or binary rubber mixtures to achieve broad variations in morphology and glass transitions.

Key role of network formation in Rutting, fatigue and brittle performance of bitumen/PEG/MDI/SiO2 composites

The effect of hydrophilic SiO2 content on the rheological property of bitumen (B)/ polyethylene glycol (PEG)/4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI)/SiO2 composite was investigated. The multiple stress creep and recovery (MSCR) and linear amplitude sweep (LAS) tests were applied to analyze the rutting resistance at high temperature and fatigue life at intermediate temperature of bitumious composites, respectively. The low temperature property was evaluated by glass transition temperature and tensile behavior. All the results suggested that the optimal SiO2 loading for modified bitumen with the best service performance was around 1%. The mechanism for these results was explored by the competitive and coupling effects of SiO2 nanoparticles networking themselves, polyurethane reaction between MDI and PEG, as well as urethane reaction between MDI and SiO2. The intrinsic nature of network structure played a key role in the performance of B/PEG/MDI/SiO2 composite.

Composition and Properties of Protective Coatings Made of Biologically-Derived Polyester Reactive Binder.

Biologically derived polymers are a very attractive subject for investigation, due to the strict pro-ecological requirements imposed by developed countries, including zero-waste and zero-carbon policies as well as volatile organic compound (VOC) limits. Synthesis of biologically-derived polyesters from natural rosin and bio-diols, showing softening temperatures suitable for application in VOC-free paints and varnishes, was performed to create a desired, future commercial product, that meet the aforementioned requirements regarding VOC and elimination of petroleum-based raw materials. Prepared polymers were used in the formulation of coating materials whose properties: cross-linking behavior, glass transition temperature, thermal stability, storage modulus, hardness, cupping resistance, adhesion, chemical resistance, gloss, haze, color, and anti-corrosive behavior in the salt chamber were investigated and discussed. As a result, coatings with prepared bio-polyesters contained over 80 wt.% of natural resources and showed competitive/better properties than petroleum-based references. They can be applied in the prototyping of “green” powder paints for the protection of steel substrates from corrosion and aggressive solvents.

Influence of thermal shock on the performance of B-staged epoxy bond coat for orthotropic steel bridge pavements

B-staged epoxy bond coat (BEBC) has been widely applied as a waterproof adhesive layer in the pavements of orthotropic steel bridges. During its application, the uncured BEBC layer was first paved on the surface of the steel deck or the bituminous surfacing and hot bituminous mixture would be constructed until the BEBC layer became touch-dry. In this paper, the impacts of thermal shock on the degree of cure (DOC), pull-off strength, hydrophilicity, glass transition temperature (Tg), damping performance, thermal stability and mechanical behaviors of the touch-dry BEBC were investigated. Thermal shock greatly increased the DOC of the touch-dry BEBC and the touch-dry BEBC turned to be nearly fully cured after the thermal shock at a higher temperature. The pull-off strength of the touch-dry BEBC was remarkably improved by the thermal shock. After the thermal shock at 160 °C, the pull-off strengths at room temperature and at 60 °C of the touch-dry BEBC were increased by 584% and 914%, respectively. After the thermal shock, the contact angle of the touch-dry BEBC was greatly increased and the hydrophilicity of the touch-dry BEBC was converted to hydrophobicity. Thermal shock significantly increased the Tg of the touch-dry BEBC. Furthermore, the Tg of thermally shocked BEBCs slightly increased in the temperature. Thermal shock improved the damping performance of the fully cured BEBC. The tensile strength and toughness of the touch-dry BEBC were greatly improved by the thermal shock. However, thermal shock lowered the elongation at break of touch-dry BEBC. In the case of thermally shocked BEBCs, the temperature had a limited effect on the tensile strength, while the elongation at break increased in the temperature. The fracture energy first decreased in the temperature and increased after 150 °C. Maximum fracture energy appeared at 160 °C. After the thermal shock, the tensile strength of the touch-dry BEBC was increased by as much as 3-fold. The fracture energy of the BEBC thermally shocked at 160 °C was 182% greater than that of the touch-dry BEBC.

Anhydride-Cured Epoxy Powder Coatings from Natural-Origin Resins, Hardeners, and Fillers

Carbon-neutral policy and technological race on the powder coatings market force to develop more advanced, safer, cheaper, and naturally sourced products. To meet the market needs, powder coating compositions and coatings were prepared from safe and natural-origin hardeners, resins, and fillers prepared from rosin, bio-diols, bio-epichlorohydrin, and halloysite, to investigate their thermal, mechanical, and functional properties in comparison with petroleum-based references: cross-linking behavior, glass transition temperature, thermal stability, hardness, cupping resistance, adhesion, chemical resistance, gloss, color, and anti-corrosive behavior in salt chamber. As a result, compositions containing up to 83 wt.% of natural resources, and showing comparable or better properties, as compared to references, were successfully prepared. Their application includes binders for future ecological powder paints for demanding protection of steel substrates.

Hyperbranched Rigid Aromatic Phosphorus‐Containing Flame Retardants for Epoxy Resins

AbstractA rigid aromatic phosphorus‐containing hyperbranched flame retardant structure is synthesized from 10‐(2,5‐dihydroxyphenyl)‐10H‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphenanthrene‐10‐oxide (DOPO‐HQ), tris(4‐hydroxyphenyl)phosphine oxide (THPPO), and 1,4‐terephthaloyl chloride (TPC). The resulting poly‐(DOPO‐HQ/THPPO‐terephthalate) (PDTT) is implemented as a flame retardant into an epoxy resin (EP) at a 10 wt% loading. The effects on EP are compared with those of the monomer DOPO‐HQ and triphenylphosphine oxide (OPPh3) as low molar mass flame retardants. The glass transition temperature, thermal decomposition, flammability (reaction to small flame), and burning behavior of the thermosets are investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry, UL 94‐burning chamber testing, and cone calorimeter measurements. Although P‐contents are low at only 0.6 wt%, the study aims not at attaining V‐0, but at presenting a proof of principle: Epoxy resinswith PDTT show promising fire performance, exhibiting a 25% reduction in total heat evolved (THE), a 30% reduction in peak heat release rate (PHRR) due to flame inhibition (21% reduction in effective heat of combustion (EHC)), and an increase in Tg at the same time. This study indicates that rigid aromatic hyperbranched polymeric structures offer a promising route toward multifunctional flame retardancy.

Revisiting the glass transition temperature of water-glycerol mixtures in the bulk and confined in mesoporous silica.

In this work, we revisited the glass transition temperature (Tg) behavior of bulk and confined water-glycerol solutions as a function of the mixture composition and size of the confinement media, with the aim to shed some light on some controversies found in the literature. In the case of bulk mixtures, some discrepancies are observed due to the differences in the way of calculating Tg from the DSC experiments and differences in the protocols of cooling/reheating. However, unphysical behavior observed below the eutectic composition can be due to the crystallization of water during the cooling of the mixture. We also analyzed the effect of confinement on the glass transition of glycerol aqueous solutions, with glycerol mass fraction, wG, between 0.5 and 1.0, in silica mesoporous samples with pore diameters between 2 and 58 nm. Our results show that the the Tg dependence on pore size changes with the mixture composition. For glycerol-rich samples, Tg decreases with a decreasing pore size. This tendency changes with increasing water concentration below wG ∼ 0.6 for samples with dp between 2 and 8 nm, where two glass transition temperatures appear. We hypothesize that this effect is related to the existence of two liquid phases with different densities. The Tg composition dependence in confined glycerol-water mixtures was analyzed with the Gordon-Taylor equation modified for confined mixtures, which allowed us to calculate the Tg of the pure components as a function of the pore size. This analysis shows that for pores with dp > 20 nm, and for pure water and pure glycerol, Tg decreases with the pore size, attaining an almost constant value for samples with pore sizes between 2 and 8 nm. This Tg pore size dependence is explained considering the competition of two opposite effects: a reduction in Tg with a decreasing pore size given when the length scale of dynamics is comparable to the pore size, and an increment in Tg with a decreasing pore size as a result of increasing interactions of the confined liquid with the pore walls.

Perfluoroalkylated alternating copolymer possessing solubility in fluorous liquids and imaging capabilities under high energy radiation.

A highly fluorinated alternating polymer, P(RFMi-St), possessing improved thermal properties and patterning capabilities over perfluoroalkyl polymethacrylates under high energy radiation was achieved with semi-perfluorododecyl maleimide (RFMi) and styrene (St). RFMi could be synthesised efficiently via a Mitsunobu reaction condition and copolymerised with St by free radical and reversible-deactivation radical polymerisation protocols. P(RFMi-St) showed a satisfactory glass-transition temperature (108 °C) and intermolecular cross-linking behaviour under electron-beam and commercially more important extreme UV (λ = 13.5 nm) irradiation. The exposed regions lost their solubility, resulting in the successful formation of mechanically non-deteriorated negative-tone images down to 50 nm. In addition, P(RFMi-St) could be solution-processed with chemically non-damaging fluorous liquids, which enabled the polymer to be applied effectively on top of an organic semiconductor layer as a dielectric material (dielectric constant 2.7) for the organic field-effect transistor fabrication.

Study on Toughness Improvement of a Rosin-Sourced Epoxy Matrix Composite for Green Aerospace Application

A high temperature epoxy resin was formulated by using a rosin-sourced anhydride-type curing agent, i.e., maleopimaric acid (RAM), and a two-component epoxy consisting of an E51-type epoxy and a solid phenolic epoxy to form a bio-sourced green matrix resin. The glass transition temperature of the final resin was 238 °C Carbon fiber composite prepreg and was manufactured and laminated into composite specimens. Interleaving Toughening Technology (ITT) was applied to the laminates by using Polyamide interleaf veils. The interlaminar fracture toughness and compression after impact (CAI) strength were investigated and showed that the opening Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness GIC and the Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness GIIC of the specimens with interleaves were significantly improved from 227.51 J/m2 to 509.22 J/m2 and 1064.3 J/m2 to 1510.8 J/m2, respectively. Correspondingly, the drop-weight impact test shows that the interleaves reduced the impact damage area from 20.9% to 11.3% of the total area, and the CAI residual strength was increased from 144 MPa to 191 MPa. Meanwhile, mechanical tests showed that the in-plane properties of the interleaved laminates were slightly reduced due to carbon fiber volume fraction reduction. In conclusion, the high glass transition temperature, fracture toughness and CAI behaviour make the green resin matrix composite a potential candidate for aerospace applications.

Laboratory investigation on the microstructure and performance of SBS modified epoxy asphalt binder

Both styrene–butadiene-styrene copolymer (SBS) and epoxy resin have been widely applied in the asphalt modification. The influence of SBS concentration on the morphology, viscosity, thermal stability, glass transition temperature (Tg), damping performance and mechanical behaviors of the neat EA binder was studied. Double phase separation occurred in the epoxy SBS modified asphalt (ESBA): main phase separation between epoxy and the SBS modified asphalt (SBA) and secondary phase separation between asphalt and SBS. The occurrence of phase separation in the ESBA disrupted the original dispersion of SBS particles in SBA and resulted in the redistribution of SBS in the form of smaller spherical particles. The inclusion of SBS increased the viscosity of the neat EA. Furthermore, the viscosity of ESBAs increased with the SBS content. ESBAs had as long as 150-min construction time for the mixture pavement. The presence of SBS improved the thermostability of the neat EA. In terms of ESBAs, the thermostability increased with the SBS content. The addition of SBS lowered the Tg of the neat EA when the SBS content was lower than 4 wt%. The Tg of ESBAs increased with the SBS content. The incorporation of SBS significantly enhanced the damping behaviors of the neat EA. The tensile strength of the neat EA was improved with the addition of 2 wt% SBS. The inclusion of SBS improved the elongation at break and the toughness of the neat EA when the SBS loading was greater than 1 wt%.

Development of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles reinforced chlorinated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber/chlorinated ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber blends

AbstractHydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HA) reinforced polymer blend based on chlorinated nitrile rubber (Cl‐NBR) and chlorinated ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (Cl‐EPDM) were prepared. Resulting blend composites were analyzed with regard to their rheometric processing, crystallinity, glass transition temperature (Tg), mechanical properties, oil resistance, AC conductivity, and transport behavior. The decrease in optimum cure time with the addition of HA is more advantageous for the development of products from these blend nanocomposites. The XRD, FTIR, and SEM confirmed the attachment and uniform dispersion of HA nanoparticles in the Cl‐NBR/Cl‐EPDM blend. The good compatibility between polymer blend and nanoparticles was also deduced by the formation of spherically shaped HA particles in the blend matrix determined by TEM analysis. DSC analysis showed an increase in Tg of the blend with the filler loading. The addition of HA particles to the blend produced a remarkable increase in tensile and tear strength, hardness, AC conductivity, abrasion, and oil resistance. The diffusion of blend composites was decreased with an increase in penetrant size. The diffusion mechanism was found to follow an anomalous trend. Among the blend composites, the sample with 7 phr of HA not only showed good oil and solvent resistance but also a remarkable increase in AC conductivity and mechanical properties.

Development of novel elastomeric blends derived from chlorinated nitrile rubber and chlorinated ethylene propylene diene rubber

Chlorinated nitrile rubber (Cl-NBR) has been blended with chlorinated ethylene propylene diene rubber (Cl-EPDM) in different ratios by a conventional mill mixing method. The effect of the blend ratio on processing characteristics, mechanical properties (such as tensile and tear strength, elongation at break, hardness, abrasion resistance, heat build-up and resilience), structure, morphology, glass transition temperature (Tg), thermal stability, flame retardancy, oil resistance, AC conductivity, dielectric properties and transport behavior of petrol, diesel and kerosene were investigated. The shift in absorption bands of blends studied from FTIR spectra, single Tg from DSC analysis and decrease in amorphous nature from XRD showed the molecular miscibility in Cl-NBR/Cl-EPDM blends. SEM images showed the uniform mixing of both Cl-NBR and Cl-EPDM in a 50/50 blend ratio. The TGA curves indicated the better thermal stability of the polymer blend. The elongation at break, heat build-up, resilience and hardness of the polymer blend decreases with an increase in Cl-NBR content in the blend whereas the flame and oil resistance were increased with increase in Cl-NBR content. Among the polymer blends, the maximum torque, tensile strength, tear and abrasion resistance was obtained for the 50/50 blend ratio because of the effective interfacial interactions between the blend components. AC conductivity and dielectric properties of polymer blend increased with increase in the ratio of Cl-NBR in the blend. Different transport properties such as diffusion, permeation and sorption coefficient were measured with respect to nature of solvent and different blend ratios. Temperature dependence of diffusion was used to estimate the activation parameters and the mechanism of transport found to be anomalous.

Effect of plasticiser on the morphology, mechanical properties and permeability of albumen-based nanobiocomposites

Abstract This paper delves into the role plasticisers play in the formulation and processing of bioplastics and nanobiocomposites, trying to understand their effect on nanoclays dispersion and, consequently, on mechanical and gas barrier properties of protein-based nanobiocomposites. Egg white protein/montmorillonite clay nanobiocomposites were obtained by thermomechanical processing plasticised with varying molar concentration of different components (water, glycerol, polyethylene glycol). The extent of dispersion of the filler was evaluated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Tensile tests and solid-state rheological measurements were conducted to evaluate glass transition temperature and thermomechanical behaviour of plasticised protein-clay nanobiocomposites, whereas gas permeability tests were used to study their gas barrier properties. The results showed that the samples plasticised by a blend of 1:1 glycerol/water presented the most exfoliated structures, resulting in an improvement in gas barrier and mechanical properties. Morphological analyses combined with tensile and permeability tests have shown a lesser effect of polyethylene glycol of 300 molecular weight (PEG 300) on the exfoliation extent into such nanobiocomposites. Moreover, the larger size of PEG 300 does not allow the formation of a structure as compact as in the case of water and glycerol, as a consequence of an apparent phase separation, leaving more spaces that facilitate the diffusion of gases through the material.