Effect of clay organic modifier on the final performance of PCL/clay nanocomposites

The effect of un-modified and several organo-modified montmorillonites on the morphology, mechanical properties and thermal behavior of polycaprolactone (PCL) based nanocomposites prepared by melt intercalation was studied. The study was centered on the analysis of the clay characteristics that have influence on the final properties of PCL/clay nanocomposites. Polymer/clay compatibility was analyzed studying both bulk and surface polarity degree of the clays by means of water absorption tests (bulk) and contact angle measurements (surface). The thermal stability of the clays was analyzed by dynamic thermogravimetrical tests (TGA). The degradation of the clay organo-modifiers during processing was simulated by isothermal TGA. The clay dispersion degree inside the nanocomposites was analyzed by X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The melt rheology was used as a method to compare the dispersion degree of the clay by means of the shear thinning exponent, nRh. The tensile mechanical properties were measured and theoretically analyzed by means of several micro-mechanical models. It was found that the thermal stability of the clay organo-modifiers is a critical factor that can modify the final clay content and the clay dispersion degree inside the nanocomposite, demonstrating that the enhancement of the polymer–clay compatibility may not be the main factor to achieve the best mechanical performance when shear forces during processing, i.e. extrusion techniques, are used to prepare polymer/organo-modified clay nanocomposites.