Nanocomposites from Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate

HIPS High impact polystyrene MMT Modified montmorillonite MWCNT Multiwalled carbon nanotube(s) 

Reproduced with permission from Y. Zare, Waste Management, 2013, 33, 598. 2013, Elsevier [3] 

The incorporation of 5 wt% of a different OMMT in rPET was evaluated [41]. To get a well-exfoliated structure, the surface polarities of the polymer matrix and OMMT should be matched [74, 75]. The ammonium cations in Cloisite 30B, lOA and 25A are more polar, while those in Cloisite 6A, 15A and 20A, containing two long alkyl groups, are nonpolar. Hence, Cloisite 3 OB, lOA and 25A revealed a strong interaction with PET chains. In these samples, the maximum level of delamination was found in samples containing Cloisite 25A and 30B. 

Zicans, R. Maksimovs, T. Ivanova, M. Kalnins, R. Berzina and G. Japins, Composite Structures, 2014, 111, 453. 2014, Elsevier [45] 

Moreover, the observations confirmed that the Cloisite 25A nanoparticles were better dispersed in the rPET matrix, compared with nonmodified natural MMT 

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