Dispersibility of clay and crystallization kinetics for in situ polymerized PET/pristine and modified montmorillonite nanocomposites |
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| Authors: | Sung Yeon Hwang Wan Duk Lee Jung Seop Lim Ki Hong Park Seung Soon Im |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Fiber and Polymer Engineering, College of Engineering, Hanyang University, Seongdong‐Gu, Seoul 133‐791, Korea;2. Korea Polymer Testing & Research Institute, Ltd., Sangwolgok‐Dong, Sungbook‐Gu, Seoul 136‐120, Korea |
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| Abstract: | Nanocomposite materials composed of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and montmorillonite (MMT) clays were prepared by in situ polymerization. Samples consisted of PET blended with various quantities of either pristine (Na+‐MMT) or organically modified MMT (A10‐MMT). The morphology and thermal and mechanical properties were evaluated for each sample. TEM micrographs, acquired at a 20 nm resolution, provide direct evidence of exfoliation of the clay particles into the PET matrix and show the effect of the alkyl‐modifier on clay dispersibility. The dispersion of PET/A10‐MMT was greater than that observed for the PET/Na+‐MMT nanocomposites. The greatest degree of exfoliation occurred for PET/A10‐MMT 0.5 wt %. However, PET/Na+‐MMT exhibited higher crystallization temperatures and rates suggesting that Na+‐MMT is a more efficient nucleating agent. Both mechanically and thermally, PET/A10‐MMT nanocomposites exhibited superior properties over pure PET. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 1022–1035, 2008 |
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| Keywords: | crystallization kinetics (polym.) morphology nanocomposites organoclay polyester |
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