Polymorphism of nylon-6 in nylon-6/nanoclay/functionalized polyolefin blends

The crystallization behavior of Nylon-6 and the interaction in Nylon-6/nanoclay/functionalized polyolefin blends were investigated by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. For samples without any thermal history, the interaction between Nylon-6 and nanoclay or the interaction between Nylon-6 and functionalized polyolefin favors the formation of γ form crystal. In contrast, the presence of both nanoclay and functionalized polyolefin together in Nylon-6 was found to have an antagonistic effect on each other's ability to promote the formation of γ form crystal. This was attributed to the complex interactions between the constituents. The crystallization behavior of Nylon-6 in Nylon-6/nanoclay/functionalized polyolefin blends is clearly affected by the cointeraction of these effects. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1494–1502, 2007