PVC clay nanocomposites: Optimal clay volume

Abstract

The polymer/clay nanocomposites have been studied for several years yet Weak attention has been given to poly(VinylChloride)/clay nanocomposites, although PVC is the best known and the most widely used vinyl plastics This paper focuses to the clay volume optimalization at compositions based on soft PVC Different clay content was used to find out the optimum between properties, filling grade and level of exfoliation. Modified type of clay, Cloisite 3013, and unmodified type of clay, Cloisite Na(+), were employed as the inorganic phase In the first case the clay gives good exfoliation degree and in the second case the degree of exfoliation is very low. These two systems were select due to better understanding the role of clay content and exfoliation degree in relation to the final properties of polymer/clay nancomposites Clay volume differs from 0 to 40% In case of Cloisite 30B composition with clay content 0 - 20% was prepared due to thermal stability of mixing systems As the intercalation and co-intercalation agent was used low molecular plasticizer dioctyphthalate (DOP) The melt intercalation method was used for PVC/clay nanocomposite preparation All intercalates and co-intercalates were reached at 80 degrees C in laboratory mixer Thermomix For mixture compounding, the KO-kneader was chosen The morphology of investigated materials was studied by XRD and TEM The final composition properties were characterized by tensile stress and strain, dynamical thermo-mechanical analysis and by barrier properties It was observed, that relative value of complex modulus /E*/ is growing rapidly with increasing temperature The enhancement is more intensive for materials based on Cloisite 30B