In‐situ synthesis of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/clay nanocomposites using TiO₂/SiO₂ sol‐intercalated montmorillonite as polycondensation catalyst

Abstract

A novel organic montmorillonite, which could act as both polycondensation catalyst of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and filler of PET/clay nanocomposites, was prepared. Original montmorillonite was first treated with different amounts of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), and then intercalated by TiO 2 /SiO 2 sol to gain polycondensation catalytic activity. The acquired clay possessed excellent thermal stability and would not degrade during the polycondensation step. PET/clay nanocomposites were prepared via in-situ polymerization using the organo-clay as polycondensation catalysts. The morphologies of the nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope. The results indicated that the amount of PVP and TiO 2 / SiO 2 sol strongly affected the dispersion state of the clay, and finally, partially exfoliated PET/clay nanocomposites were obtained. The nanocomposites had better properties than pure PET due to the incorporation of the delaminated clay layers.

Rheological, crystal structure, barrier, and mechanical properties of PA6 and MXD6 nanocomposite films

“…However, high oxygen and carbon dioxide permeability is a challenge for using PET for beverage packaging. Some effort has been done to enhance gas barrier properties of PET by incorporating layered silicate nanoclay via melt compounding or in situ polymerization . However, at high processing temperatures required for melt compounding of PET, the organo modifier of nanoclay undergoes thermal degradation resulting in a little effect of nanoparticles on the barrier properties of PET .…”

Polymer/organosilica nanocomposites based on polyimide with benzimidazole linkages and reactive organoclay containing isoleucine amino acid: Synthesis, characterization and morphology properties

“…In addition, MMT is hydrophilic because of the presence of strong electrostatic forces between the layers and the ability to form hydrogen bonds with water, so unmodified clays generally disperse poorly in organic matrices. Thus, before preparation of polymer/MMT NCs, modification is generally required through ion exchange reaction between organic cations and inorganic cations to render hydrophilic MMT more organophilic to be compatible with polymer molecules [16,[25][26][27]. The ease of dispersion depends on a number of factors, including the nature of the organic cation and the density of cationic sites on the platelets' surfaces.…”

The effect of organomodified ZnAl LDH for in situ synthesis and the properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) nanocomposites

“…[1][2][3][4]. Also it has been found wide range of various applications such as in textile fibers, films, bottle containers, food packaging materials, engineering plastics in electronics, automobiles, etc.…”