MMT Loading Research Articles

The Critical Role of Ca2+ in Improving the Transparency and Strength of High-Filler-Content Nanocellulose/Montmorillonite Nanocomposite Films.

Strong and transparent nanocellulose/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposite films with high filler content (≥50 wt %) are emerging as versatile materials for advanced applications due to their excellent optical, barrier, mechanical, and thermal properties, and environmental friendliness. Nonetheless, these films undergo a notable decline in optical and mechanical properties at high MMT loadings. This study first demonstrates that calcium-ion-induced tactoids are the key factor causing disordered structures in nanocomposite films, leading to the degradation of optical and mechanical properties. We then address this issue by employing a Ca2+ removal strategy─dialysis. Through removing 43% of free Ca2+, simultaneous improvements in both properties are observed. For example, in a nanocomposite film with 70 wt % MMT, light transmittance increases from 75.9 to 91.6%, and the tensile strength rises from 100.4 to 139.4 MPa. This work offers insights into developing strong and transparent nanocomposite films with high MMT contents.

Corrosion Resistance and Thermal Stability Enhancement of Green Layered Clay/Epoxy Coating

A layered clay/epoxy coating was fabricated to investigate the effects of montmorillonite (MMT) and halloysite nanotube (HNT) loading at 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 parts per hundred resin (phr) on the corrosion resistance and thermal stability of coated mild steel plates. The corrosion study was carried out by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Tafel polarization. The |Z|0.1Hz value, Rct, and Rp of the layered/clay epoxy coatings containing 1.5 phr of HNT and MMT exhibited the best anticorrosion performance compared to other clay content levels. The |Z|0.1Hz value for the epoxy coating filled with 1.5 phr of MMT (M1.5) is 2.132 × 109 Ω·cm², while it is slightly higher for H1.5 coatings, i.e., 2.629 × 109 Ω·cm². Water absorption trends were consistent with EIS and Tafel polarization studies. The presence of highly compatible nanocontainers clay reduced the total free volume and promoted cross-linking, enhancing anticorrosion performance. Thermal Gravimetry Analysis (TGA) showed that a 1.5 phr loading of MMT in layered/clay epoxy coating demonstrated better thermal stability than a coating embedded with HNT. This improvement can be attributed to the barrier effect of MMT, which retards the diffusion of oxygen molecules into the coating.

Sensitizing effect of montmorillonite on the gas sensing property of CuO particles to n-butanol

Individual montmorillonite (MMT) platelets as an electronic additive were inserted into CuO particle matrix to derive CuO-MMT nanocomposites via a 2-methylimidazole ligand-assisted hydrolysis method in combination with thermal decomposition. The analyses by XRD, FTIR, and XPS confirmed the presence of monoclinic copper oxide and aluminosilicate in the nanocomposites. MMT platelets were observed to be surrounded among quasi-spherical CuO particles closely, even generating some large-sized aggregates. While CuO particles had a decrease in surface area after the loading of MMT, their electrical resistance was modulated to gradually increase. The CuO-MMT(0.050) based sensor showed the highest response of ∼31 (Rg/Ra) to 200 ppm n-butanol at 260 °C. The limit of detection was estimated to be ∼0.75 ppm for CuO-MMT(0.050), which was lower than that of CuO (∼3.12 ppm). Additionally, the nanocomposite-base sensor was also relatively tolerant against humidity. The improved sensing property could be attributed to the resistance modulation, nanoscale junction, and interface oxygen vacancies upon the addition of MMT. This work suggests that aluminosilicate clays can serve as a promising additive with the ability to enhance the gas sensing property of p-type metal oxides.

Enhancement of the cure behavior and mechanical properties of nanoclay reinforced NR/SBR vulcanizates based on waste tire rubber

The most important goal of this work was to investigate the different physical and mechanical properties of the nanoclay (montmorillonite, MMT)-filled 50/50 wt.% of natural rubber/styrene butadiene rubber (NR/SBR) blend containing 40 phr of waste tire rubber (WTR) in the presence of bio-resin. The MMT was added into the NR/SBR/WTR blends and processed via a two-roll mill to prepare blends at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 phr of nanoclay filler and a constant concentration of 10 phr of bio-resin. The morphology, rheological, percent of swelling weight, and mechanical properties of the MMT-reinforced NR/SBR/WTR blends were examined. The cure characteristics of the blends showed that MMT significantly affected the scorch and vulcanization times, torques, and curing rate of NR/SBR/WTR blends at all filler contents. Also, the findings revealed that the MMT was an efficient reinforcing material for the NR/SBR/WTR blend, improving crosslink density, tensile and tear strengths, hardness, compression set, and abrasion resistance. The tensile strength of filled NR/SBR/WTR blends achieved its maximum value (11.2 MPa) when the MMT content was 15 phr. While the elongation percent of the filled blends decreased for all MMT concentrations compared with the pristine blend. The elastic modulus and tear strength of the blends improved as the MMT loading increased. The hardness (Shore A) continued to increase with increasing MMT loading. On the contrary, the rebound resilience gradually decreased leading to improved interaction between the matrix and filler.

Structural and electrochemical properties of montmorillonite-poly(ethylene oxide) intercalated nanocomposites for lithium-ion batteries

Poly(ethylene oxide) has been intercalated inside the interlayer galleries of montmorillonite clay and the electrochemical properties of the nanocomposite have been investigated. Interlayer spacing and clay gallery width increase with increasing MMT concentration confirming intercalation of PEO into MMT as observed from XRD results. The fraction of free anions as calculated from FTIR, increases with increasing clay content and remains constant beyond 7.5 wt. % of clay content. Ionic conductivity of the order of 10−4 Scm−1 has been obtained in the case of MMT based electrolytes. The initial increase of conductivity with increasing MMT content can be attributed to the increase fraction of free ions which eventually increases ionic conductivity. After 7.5 wt. % of MMT loading ionic conductivity decreases due to the high viscosity of MMT. Interfacial stability results show that passivation takes place very slowly in MMT based electrolytes. Dielectric properties show that at high frequency relaxation takes place due to the segmental motion of polymer chains and it proves the hopping of ions.

Heterogenous bipolar membrane with amino methyl phosphonic acid functionalized cation exchange layer and montmorillonite nanoclay based interfacial layer

Heterogeneous bipolar membranes (HBMs) synthesized with cation exchange resin bearing amino methyl phosphonic acid group as cation exchange layer and montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay as interface layer was investigated. All HBMs were synthesized through layer-by-layer solvent casting technique using Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as common binder for both cation and anion exchange layers. MMT suspensions were prepared with 5 w/v% Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solution to improve coating stability and hydrophilicity of the interface layer. The water dissociation performance of each HBM was investigated through current voltage characteristics and electrodialysis test of estimate its acid-alkali generation from salt solution. Presence of the hydrophilic MMT nanoclay at the membrane interface reduced water dissociation potential (Udiss) and the lowest Udiss of 2.15 V was obtained at 1.0 mg∙cm−2 MMT loading at the interface. Cross-sectional morphology of HBMs shows strong binding between all the layers in the membrane matrix. Acid- alkali production capability of HBMs could be significantly improved in presence of MMT nanoclay producing 0.50 mol∙L−1 (300 mL) of H+/OH−at 75 mA∙cm−2 in 5 h of electrodialysis experiment.

Alignment control of clay and its effect on properties of polymer nanocomposites

Polymer nanocomposites are well known to show high performances by the addition of a small amount of nanofiller. However, the brittleness has often been reported as a general issue of the nanocomposites. In this study, we revealed the excellent toughening effect of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposites by controlling the alignment of MMT by drawing. The PVA/MMT nanocomposites with 5 wt% MMT loading was prepared and then drawn by uniaxial drawing, roll drawing and simultaneous-biaxial drawing. The drawn nanocomposites, where MMT was highly aligned parallel to the film surface, showed excellent enhancement in the mechanical properties and barrier properties. It is noteworthy that not only the Young's modulus and the tensile strength, but also the elongation at break and the toughness remarkably increased for the drawn nanocomposites. For example, the simultaneously-biaxially-drawn nanocomposite showed the toughness of 17 times higher than that of the as-cast nanocomposite. Furthermore, the swelling ratio was comparable to that of surface fluorinated PVA film.

Potential of montmorillonite nanoclay as water dissociation catalyst at the interface of bipolar membrane

Bipolar membranes (BPM) containing montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay interface as water dissociation catalyst was synthesized using sulfonated polyether-ether ketone (SPEEK) as cation exchange layer, while quaternized polysulfone as anion exchange layer. MMT nanoclay suspension in PVP solution was applied as interface layer, where MMT nanoclay loading were varied as: 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg⋅cm−2. Current-voltage (I-V) analysis with all synthesized BPMs containing MMT nanoclay showed lower water dissociation and transmembrane potential in comparison to that without nanoclay. This observation was justified by formation of charged sites in MMT platelets due to isomorphic substitution in alumino-silicate layers and availability of interlayer galleries in MMT nanoclay facilitated protonation-deprotonation steps of water molecules lowering dissociation potential. Based on I-V performance, BPM containing 1.0 mg∙cm−2 of MMT nanoclay (SBM-NC1.0) was chosen to evaluate its acid/base production rate separately using current densities: 250, 500, and 750 A∙m−2 and compared with BPM without nanoclay and FBM. Acid/base production rate increased with current density and MMT loading. Negligible change in potential drop (<0.05 V) with SBM-NC1.0 during 12 h of acid/base production at 500 A∙m−2 confirms its durability. Catalytic effect of MMT nanoclay for water dissociation at lower potential coupled with its appreciable durability and inexpensive nature are expected to make it a potential interface material for developing BPMs.

Micro foaming performance of scCO2-aid glutaraldehyde/hexametaphosphate/thermoplastic starch foams modified by alkali treatment and montmorillonite nano-platelets

The micro foaming performance, moisture resistance and dynamic viscosity of scCO2-aid glutaraldehyde/hexametaphosphate/thermoplastic tapioca starch (GA/SHMP/TOS) foams were considerably improved by proper NaOH treatment. The expansion ratio, resilience rate, dynamic viscosity values of these NaOH modified foams improved to a maximum, as the time for NaOH treatment approached a proper value. The dynamic viscosity, expansion ratio and resilience rate of the scCO2-aid GA/SHMP/TOS foams modified using 110 atm scCO2-pressure, the proper alkali treatment time, SHMP loading and varying montmorillonite (MMT) loadings improved further, as their MMT loadings approached a proper value of 2.5 part per hundred parts of tapioca starch (PHTOS). Relatively large dynamic viscosity (7.1x104 Pa·s), extremely large expansion ratio (∼75), cell density (1.1x109 cells/cm3) and/or resilience rate (∼80%) were acquired for the scCO2-aid GA/SHMP/TOS/MMT foam modified using the proper alkali treatment time and MMT loading. Thermal analyses results showed that crystallization onset temperatures and crystallization rates of scCO2-aid GA/SHMP/TOS/MMT foams modified using the proper alkali treatment time and varying MMT loadings improved to a highest value by adding 2.5 PHTOS of MMT nano-platelets. Possible reasons accounting for the considerably improved micro foaming performance of scCO2-aid GA/SHMP/TOS/MMT foams modified using the proper alkali treatment time and MMT loading are proposed in this study.

Construction of physically crosslinked cellulose nanofibrils/alkali lignin/montmorillonoite/polyvinyl alcohol network hydrogel and its application in methylene blue removal

Herein, cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), alkali lignin (AL), and montmorillonite (MMT) were used to produce reinforced polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels. The effects of MMT and AL contents on the rheological properties of reinforced hydrogel were studied. Compared with PVA/CNF hydrogel, the storage modulus of 40 wt% MMT-reinforced PVA hydrogel was increased by 41.4%. The rheological properties of MMT-enhanced PVA hydrogel could be adjusted by the variation of MMT loading. Also, as the PVA matrix had a synergistic effect with the embedded MMT and AL, the composite hydrogel demonstrated high efficiency in the removal of methylene blue dye (MB) from wastewater. Adsorption tests conducted at various time intervals (60–360 min) show that the hydrogels containing same content of MMT had higher removal efficiency. The MB adsorption of PVA/2CNF-0Li-40MMT was over 98.0%, whereas its adsorption equilibrium time and maximum adsorption capacity (qm) were 360 min and 67.2 mg/g, respectively. However, an extremely high content of MMT reduced the MB adsorption rate.

Study on crystalline phases and degree of crystallinity of the melt compounded PVA/MMT and PVA/PVP/MMT nanocomposites

Polymer nanocomposite (PNC) films comprised poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and also its blend with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) (i.e., PVA/PVP = 75/25 wt/wt%) as host matrices loaded with different amounts of montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay up to 10 wt% were prepared by melt compounded method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of these PNC films were recorded in the appropriate angular range of 2θ values 3.8°–26° for their crystalline phase structural characterization. In comparison to the broader-type single diffraction peak for the aqueous solution cast prepared pure PVA film and that of the PVA/PVP blend film which is attributed to the hydrogen bonded isotactic and syndiotactic PVA crystals, five sharp diffraction peaks of different intensities corresponding to the evolution of various crystallites in the melt compounded PVA and PVA/PVP blend films were observed. Further, these peaks intensities were found significantly affected by the amounts of loaded MMT in these polymer matrices-based nanocomposites. It was observed that the prominent crystalline phase of the pure PVA converted into alternative tactic phases in the PVA/MMT films with the variation of MMT concentration. The prime crystalline phase of the PVA/PVP/MMT nanocomposites underwent alternative crystal structures formation abruptly on the initial loading of the 1 wt% amount of MMT in the PVA/PVP blend matrix reflecting a substantial alteration in the direction and nature of hydrogen bonding within the PVA crystal structures, and less changes were found with the further increase of MMT concentration up to 10 wt%. The effect of MMT loading on the crystallite sizes, degree of crystallinity, and the exfoliated and intercalated MMT structures in these PNC materials were analyzed in detail.

High-performance homogenized and spray coated nanofibrillated cellulose-montmorillonite barriers

Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) is a promising candidate for the development of high-performance renewable packaging. The water vapour permeability (WVP) of NFC sheets can be improved with the addition of inorganic nanoparticles such as montmorillonite nanoclay (MMT). However, these nanoparticles reduce the already poor sheet drainage when layers are formed through vacuum filtration. Spray-coating, on the other hand, is a recently developed rapid method for sheet formation. However, higher WVP of spray-coated NFC sheets compared to its vacuum filtered counterpart still remains a limitation. This work reports a new method for spray-coating a NFC-MMT composite sheet to improve both the ease of preparation and WVP barrier performance. Critically, the WVP of CNF sheets could be significantly reduced by processing the CNF-MMT suspension in a high-pressure homogenizer prior to spray-coating. X-ray diffraction measurements confirmed that the MMT particles were aligned in the plane of the sheet and were strongly interacting with the NFC matrix. At the optimal MMT loading of 20 wt%, WVP of 8.3 × 10−12 g/m s Pa was achieved. This resulted in comparable barrier performance to vacuum filtered NFC-MMT sheets, with the added benefit of being much easier to produce. Furthermore, spray-coating with 2 wt% suspension reduces the required water removal during drying by almost 90% (291 tonne water/tonne dry NFC product), compared to forming equivalent sheets using vacuum filtration at 0.3 wt%. The spray-coating process is of industrial interest as it is scalable and it is easy to engineer the properties of the NFC composites by varying the MMT content.

Efficient reactivity of LaCu0.5Co0.5O3 perovskite intercalated montmorillonite and g-C3N4 nanocomposites in microwave-induced H2O2 catalytic degradation of bisphenol A

A series of new layered composite catalysts LaCu0.5Co0.5O3-MMT0.2/CNx (x = 0.025, 0.075, 0.125) were prepared by montmorillonite (MMT) and g-C3N4 (CN) in situ intercalation of B-site double perovskite. The experimental results showed that the appropriate MMT and CN loading of LaCu0.5Co0.5O3-MMT0.2/CN0.075 were beneficial to the increase of catalytic performance because perovskites were evenly distributed between the layers of MMT and CN and effectively avoided the loss of active components. The sample had a smaller particle size distribution, a larger specific surface, a higher ratio of Oads/Olatt and excellent microwave absorption capabilities. The removal rate reached 98.7% in 6 min under optimal conditions with catalyst dosage of 9.5 g/L, H2O2 dosage of 350 μL, pH of 4, MW power of 500 W, and bisphenol A (BPA) concentration of 50 mg/L. LCCOM0.2/CN0.075 also showed good reusability with a degradation efficiency of 95.7% even after the 5th cycle. And the microwave-catalyzed degradation followed pseudo first-order kinetics. Combining relevant characterization and experimental results of free radical capture, possible reaction mechanisms were discussed. The surface active sites of the catalyst can be excited by microwaves to produce oxidized free radicals, thereby degrading bisphenol A through electron-hole transport.

Ocimum basilicum seed mucilage reinforced with montmorillonite for preparation of bionanocomposite film for food packaging applications

Use of nanocomposites is a well-established approach in enhancing the mechanical and barrier properties of bionanocomposite film for food packaging applications. The seed mucilage of Ocimum basilicum was employed for the preparation of bionanocomposite films with montmorillonite (MMT) as nanofiller. The films were prepared by solvent-casting method at varied solution pH (1, 3, 5 and 9) and MMT loading (1%, 3%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%). The films were characterized for physical, mechanical and barrier properties in addition to microstructure and X-ray diffraction pattern. XRD analysis revealed the exfoliated dispersion of MMT at pH 9, confirming its effective interaction with the bionanocomposite film. Maximum film tensile strength was achieved at a lower MMT load of 5%. Water vapour permeability reduced with increase in MMT loading up to 5%, followed by an increase at higher MMT loadings. Film formed at pH 9 showed tensile strength of 17.3 ± 0.33 MPa and reduced water vapour permeability (WVP) of 0.21 g mm.m−2.hr−1.kPa−1.

PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF NANOCOMPOSITE FROM NR AND NATURAL NA+-MONTMORILLONITE

ABSTRACT NR/Na+-montmorillonite (NR/Na+-MMT) nanocomposites were prepared through mixing in the latex stage. NR/Na+-MMT nanocomposites with various amounts of Na+-MMT were fabricated using three types of NR latexes: fresh NR (FNR), high ammonia NR, and deproteinized NR latex. The Na+-MMT and NR latexes were characterized by particle size distribution and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses. The nanocomposite materials were then analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and contact angle measurements. The mechanical properties of the resulting products were measured by tensile testing machine. The composite prepared from FNR gave the best tensile strength at 3 phr MMT loading. The outstanding properties are proposed to be due to the contribution of the water-soluble compounds present in FNR that possess similar hydrophilicity to Na+-MMT.

Gelatin/Montmorillonite and Gelatin/Polyvinyl Alcohol/Montmorillonite Bionanocomposite Hydrogels: Microstructural, Swelling and Drying Properties

Gelatin/montmorillonite bionanocomposite hydrogels containing 0, 5 and 10 wt.% of montmorillonite were prepared via two different techniques, either a cooling or drying method. In addition, gelatin/polyvinyl alcohol/montmorillonite bionanocomposite hydrogels having gelatin/polyvinyl alcohol ratios of 1/1, 1/2 and 2/1, loaded with 0, 5 and 10 wt.% of montmorillonite, were prepared via a cyclic freezing-thawing technique. The microstructural properties of both types of the prepared bionanocomposite hydrogels were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The gel fraction, swelling behavior and drying kinetics of all prepared bionanocomposite hydrogels were also studied. The XRD and SEM results showed a porous structure with a possible exfoliated morphology for both types of the prepared bionanocomposite hydrogels. In addition, the gel fraction of the bionanocomposite hydrogels increased and a more entangled and crosslinked network with a decreased pore size was obtained by increasing the loading level of montmorillonite for both types of the bionanocomposite hydrogels. The swelling ratio and drying rate of both types of the bionanocomposite hydrogels could be increased by decreasing the PVA portion or MMT loading level, while the swelling and drying ability of the gelatin/montmorillonite bionanocomposite hydrogels prepared via the cooling method was higher than those of the corresponding samples prepared via the drying method.

Tensile and Morphology Properties of PLA/MMT-TiO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; Bionanocomposites

The aim of this study is to produce PLA nanocomposites by solvent casting incorporating Montmorillonite nanoclays (MMT) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. The effects of difference loadings of MMT in PLA and different loadings of TiO2 on mechanical and morphology properties were studied. The nanocomposites were prepared by solvent casting at different loadings of MMT (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt %) and different loadings of TiO2 (1 and 3 wt %) respectively. The properties such as tensile properties (tensile strength, elongation at break, and modulus of elasticity) and morphology were determined. The results indicate that 4 wt% of MMT loading produced the best tensile properties. However, the incorporation of TiO2 showed an improvement in the modulus of elasticity of PLA/MMT nanocomposites mainly at 1 wt % loading of TiO2.

PLA/MMT-TiO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; Bionanocomposites: Chemical Structure and Surface Wettability

Polylactic Acid (PLA) has been used widely in packaging application because of its biodegradability. The aim of this study is to produce PLA nanocomposites by solvent casting incorporating montmorillonite nanoclays (MMT) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. The effect of different loadings of MMT in PLA and different loadings of TiO2 on chemical structure and surface wettability were studied. The nanocomposites were prepared by solvent casting at different loadings of MMT (0, 2, 4, 6 wt %) and different loadings of TiO2 (1 and 3 wt %) respectively. The chemical structure and surface wettability were determined. The absorption peaks in the range of 3550-3200 cm-1 had increased after incorporating of TiO2 and it indicated that there is the presence of stretching vibration of O-H groups. Moreover, increasing the percentage of TiO2 mass in the nanocomposites decreased the contact angle with water which led to increasing the wettability of the nanocomposites.

Polymer‐clay nanocomposite hydrogels for molecular irrigation application

ABSTRACTNovel nanocomposite hydrogel pipes on the basis of polyvinyl alcohol and montmorillonite (MMT) clay were prepared via a cyclic freezing–thawing technique and designed for subsurface irrigation in the agricultural sector with extraordinarily reduced water consumption. The results showed that the prepared nanocomposite hydrogel pipes had an exfoliated morphology with improved mechanical and thermal properties. It was shown that the gel contents of nanocomposite hydrogel pipes were increased by increasing the loading level of MMT and, in contrast, the swelling and drying abilities decreased. The water permeation and irrigating performances of the prepared pipes were investigated at the laboratory scale by taking into account the effects of the MMT loading levels in nanocomposite hydrogels and the thickness of pipes. The results indicated a significant decrease in water consumption in nanocomposite hydrogel pipes compared to the pure hydrogel pipe. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48631.

Nanostructured Membrane of Sodium Montmorillonite Reinforced Cellulose Acetate for Adsorption of Ca(II) and Mg(II) Ions in Hard Water

Permanent hard water softening was conducted with the use of cellulose acetate (CA)/sodium montmorillonite (Na+-MMT) nanostructured membranes. Fabrication of the nanostructured membranes with various Na+-MMT loading (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%) was made possible by electrospinning technique, which was carried out at 25°C, 30 kV applied voltage, needle size of 25G and a tip to collector distance of 18 cm. The effect of Na+-MMT content on the morphology of the fiber was examined with the use of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). It was determined that increasing the Na+-MMT loading decreases the average fiber diameter. The molecular structure of the blend nanostructured membranes were investigated using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and the existence of CA and Na+-MMT in the electrospun nanostructured membrane was confirmed. Better adsorption performance was observed for the blend with 15% Na+-MMT as compared to pure CA and maximum uptake rate was attained at 7 hours for pure CA and only 5 hours for CA/Na+-MMT (85%/15%) blend. Increasing the initial hard water concentration increases the driving force for diffusion and in turn increases adsorption capacity of both pure CA and the CA/Na+-MMT (85%/15%) blend. More so, the results of the experiment best fitted the pseudo-second order kinetic model and the Freundlich isotherm model. Integration of Na+-MMT in CA increases the surface area for adsorption of the nanostructured membrane, and thus, could be used as an effective adsorbent for hard water softening.