Polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites as high performance ablative materials

The ablative performance of poly(caprolactam) (nylon 6) nanocomposites is examined. A relatively tough, inorganic char forms during the ablation of these nanocomposites resulting in at least an order-of-magnitude decrease in the mass loss (erosion) rate relative to the neat polymer. This occurs for as little as 2 wt.% (∼0.8 vol.%) exfoliated mica-type layered silicate. The presence of the layers does not alter the first-order decomposition kinetics of the polymer matrix. Instead, the nanoscopic distribution of silicate layers leads to a uniform char layer that enhances the ablative performance. The formation of this char is only minutely influenced by the type of organic modification on the silicate surface or specific interactions between the polymer and the aluminosilicate surface, such as end-tethering of a fraction of the polymer chains through ionic interaction to the layer surface. Thus, the enhancement in ablative performance should be general for the class of exfoliated layered silicate/polymer nanocomposites.