Morphology, thermal and mechanical behavior of polyamide 6/layered-silicate nanocomposites

The microstructure, morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of polyamide 6/layered-silicate nanocomposites (PLSN) have been studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), tapping-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and tensile tests. The XRD and AFM results indicate that the organically-modified layered silicates are intercalated in the polyamide 6 (PA6) matrix. Also, the crystallization and thermal behavior of PA6 are influenced by the addition of layered silicates into polymer matrix. A silicate-induced crystal transformation from the α-form to the γ-form of PA6 is confirmed by XRD and DSC, i.e., the formation of γ crystal is enhanced by the presence of silicates. In comparison to PA6, the thermal property of PLSN has been investigated using DSC. The possible origins of a new silicate-induced endothermic peak are discussed. Tensile tests show that the tensile modulus and yield strength increase while the strain-at-yield decreases with increasing clay loading.