Recycled PET-organoclay nanocomposites with enhanced processing properties and thermal stability

✍ Scribed by Milan Kráčalík; Martin Studenovský; Jana Mikešová; Jana Kovářová; Antonín Sikora; Ralf Thomann; Christian Friedrich

• Book ID: 102738304
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 551 KB
• Volume: 106
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/app.26858

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Preparation of thermally stable recycled PET‐organoclay nanocomposites with improved processing and mechanical properties is a challenging task from the environmental as well as industrial and commercial point of view. In this work, both modification of sodium‐type montmorillonite with 1,2‐dimethyl‐3‐octadecyl‐1H‐imidazol‐3‐ium chloride and additional treatment with [3‐(glycidyloxy)propyl]trimethoxysilane was performed. Thermal stability of the organoclays and nanocomposites prepared by melt compounding was tested by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and melt rheology. In comparison with the organoclays modified with quaternary ammonium compounds, the prepared clays showed substantial suppression of matrix degradation during melt mixing. The increase in interlayer distance of silicate platelets and homogeneity of dispersions in the recycled and virgin PET matrices have been evaluated by transmission electron microscopy and wide‐angle X‐ray scattering. The higher degree of delamination in the nanocomposites filled with imidazole organoclays was in a good agreement with improved rheological characteristics and led to significant enhancement in mechanical properties and thermal stability. A difference in structure (besides the level of delamination and homogeneity of silicate platelets) of recycled versus virgin PET nanocomposites was detected by X‐ray diffraction patterns. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007