PVC nanocomposites—Nanoclay chemistry and performance

Abstract

Nanoclay applications in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) have been limited, as the organic modifier of conventional nanoclays can promote PVC degradation. Novel nanoclays designed for enhanced PVC compatibility were compounded with PVC. Hectorite and bentonite clays were studied as nanoclay fillers. Two incorporation methods were evaluated to determine the effect on nanoclay dispersion and composite performance. A two‐stage method, in which the nanoclay was predispersed in plasticizer, resulted in good nanoclay dispersion at both the micrometer and nanometer scales. The nanocomposites were characterized by using a wide range of analytical tools. They exhibited significantly improved heat stability, an increase of up to 200% in storage modulus, and a decrease of up to 77% in oxygen permeation, as compared to unfilled PVC. Bentonite nanoclays provided a greater increase in barrier and mechanical properties. No change was seen in the PVC glass transition temperature. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers

Morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of PVC/MMT nanocomposites prepared by solution blending and solution blending+melt compounding

“…Careful imaging at low and high magnifications, and observations of various sites were taken, to properly assign the nanocomposite morphology. Contrary to [16], where nanoclay tactoids were identified by SEM, no particles or agglomerates can be seen in the nanocomposites samples in this study which indicate that possible delamination and intercalation/exfoliation throughout the polymer of very fine layers of the clay have taken place. However it is not possible to conclude if an intercalated or exfoliated structure was achieved.…”

“…PVC is the thermoplastic that is used in an extensive variety of applications such as packaging, sheets, pipes, profiles, cable insulation, molded articles, flooring and medical equipment. With the objective of developing new PVC products with enhanced material performance and cost advantages, several studies have been done focusing on PVC/clay nanocomposites [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Montmorillonite has been widely used due to its unique structure and reactivity together with high strength, stiffness, swelling behaviour, and large surface area.…”

Fusion level optimization of rigid PVC nanocompounds by using response surface methodology

“…These improvements are obtained at a significantly lower loading level than those for traditional fillers . Bentonite is a widely used natural clay mineral that can be employed to prepare NC fillers for plastics . Another clay mineral, hectorite, has also been reported in the literature as a basic mineral for NC preparation on account of its being layered and hydrophilic .…”

Biopolymer films and the effects of added lipids, nanoparticles and antimicrobials on their mechanical and barrier properties: a review

“…Studies on production of films containing nanoparticle fillers have principally addressed mixtures of biodegradable polymers (proteins, starch, chitosan, agar) with two kinds of fillers (Kampeerapappun et al ., ; Benderly et al ., ; Teixeira et al ., ; Botana et al ., ; Müller et al ., ): organic nanoparticles (starch nanocrystals, cellulose nanoparticles) or inorganic nanoparticles (carbon nanotubes, silver nanoparticles). Properties in the resulting nanocompound films are improved in comparison with films containing no fillers (Azeredo, ).…”