Morphology study of polyamide 6/bentonite clay nanocomposites

Polymer/clay nanocomposites have had much attention in recent years, especially those developed with layered silicates, due to the need for engineering materials more efficient than pure polymers for certain applications. The level of exfoliation of layered silicates in the crystalline structure of polymer matrices has been studied and it has been observed that it affects the behavior of crystalline and therefore the mechanical and physical properties. In this study, polyamide 6 nanocomposites were obtained by the melt intercalation technique, using regional bentonite clay modified with a quaternary ammonium salt in an amount of 3% by weight. XRD and TEM tests showed obtaining nanocomposites with exfoliated structures (author)