Optical transparency in a polymer blend induced by clay nanofillers

The effect of added nanoclays to the morphological characteristics and the macroscopic properties in a blend of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is examined in this study. It is shown that strong interactions between the surfactant used for clay modification and the binar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European polymer journal 2008-12, Vol.44 (12), p.3941-3945
Main Authors: Kelarakis, Antonios, Yoon, Kyunghwan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Composites
Exact sciences and technology
Forms of application and semi-finished materials
Nanoclays
Nanocomposites
Optical transparency
Polymer blend
Polymer industry, paints, wood
Technology of polymers
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Summary:The effect of added nanoclays to the morphological characteristics and the macroscopic properties in a blend of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is examined in this study. It is shown that strong interactions between the surfactant used for clay modification and the binary matrix can effectively control the spatial organization of the suspended polymer droplets. It is also shown that the emulsifying efficiency of nanoclays to the polymer blend has a critical effect on the macroscopic properties of the nanocomposites. In this study, we present a unique case in which the incorporation of a small amount of organically modified nanoclay induces a dramatic transformation from an opaque to a transparent system.
ISSN:0014-3057
1873-1945
DOI:10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2008.08.030