Modified organophilic montmorillonites/LDPE nanocomposites

• DOI: 10.1007/s10973-007-8359-2
• Publication Date: 2007-10-01T13:30:05Z
• Authors: Roberta Peila; S. Lengvinaite; G. Malucelli; A. Priola; S. Ronchetti
• Keywords: Low-density polyethylene; Thermal Stability

In this work a commercially available organophilic Montmorillonite (Cloisite 30B) was modified by interaction with different surfactants, namely dodecylsuccinic anhydride (DSA), octadecylamine (ODA), octadecanoic alcohol (ODOH) and octadecanoic acid (ODAc), in order to increase its basal spacing and to achieve a better dispersibility in LDPE. The morphology of the dispersions was investigated through XRD and TEM analyses. Intercalation phenomena were found for all the systems investigated. The thermal properties of the obtained nanocomposites were studied by means of DSC and TGA measurements. No variation of Tm and crystallinity of LDPE was found after the addition of the nanoclays (5 mass/mass%). A significant increase of the air thermal stability of LDPE was achieved in the presence of the modified nanoclays.