Influence of Mixing Conditions on Morphologies and Properties of MMT/Epoxy Resin Composite Materials

Montmorillonite(MMT) was directly modified with hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide. The interlayer spacing of the organophilic montmorillonite(organo-MMT) corresponding to the d(001) plane peak was 2.21 nm. The influences of the content of organo-MMT and mixing conditions including mixing temperature and mixing time on the intercalation and exfoliation structures of MMT/epoxy resin composites were investigated by wide X-ray diffraction(WXRD). The X-ray patterns reveal that organo-MMT was intercalated by the epoxy resin during mixing process. Only under certain mixing conditions, could the exfoliation nanocomposites be formed. The mechanical and thermal properties of the composites were measured. The results indicate that the composites have better mechanical properties and higher Tg than those of the pristine epoxy resin.