Microstructure and properties of poly(butylene terephthalate) based nanocomposites

Authors: Xicuo Li; Joy K. Mishra; Soo-Duk Seul; Il Kim; Chang-Sik Ha

Source: Composite Interfaces, Volume 11, Number 4, 2004 , pp. 335-346(12)

Buy & download fulltext article:

Price: $35.00 plus tax (Refund Policy)

Abstract:

Three different polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites based on poly(butylene terephthalate), PBT, were prepared via melt intercalation; PBT/organoclay nanocomposite, poly(ethyleneco-vinyl acetate) (EVA)/organoclay nanocomposite, and PBT/EVA/organoclay ternary nanocomposite. For ternary composites, maleic anhydride grafted EVA (EVA-g-MAH) was used instead of EVA. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the microstructure of the nanocomposites. The results show that nanocomposite formation requires sufficiently hydrophobic organically modified layered silicates, as well as the presence of polar interactions between the silicate and polymer. It was found that the PBT/EVA/organoclay ternary nanocomposite showed much enhanced impact strength in comparison to PBT without severely sacrificing the tensile strength of PBT.

Keywords: NANOCOMPOSITE; POLY(BUTYLENE TEREPHTHALATE); EVA; ORGANOCLAY; IMPACT PROPERTIES

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1568554041738193

Publication date: 2004-08-01