Organically modified clay reinforcement

Biobased epoxy nanocomposites can be reinforced with organo montmorillonite clay and carbon fibers obtained from poly(acryl-onitrile) (45). To get the organically modified clay into the glassy biobased epoxy networks, a sonication technique was used. In this way, clay nanoplatelets were obtained that were homogeneously dispersed and completely exfoliated in the matrix. 

Typical reinforcing agents now commonly employed in the formation of plastics include glass fiber, carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes, carbon black, graphite, organically modified clay, talc, graphene, and fullerene. 

Cellulose has been identified as a source of biopolymer that can be used as a substitute for petroleum polymers. EPN have been successfully synthesized from cellulose acetate, triethyl citrate plasticizer, and organically modified clay (Misra 2004). The polymer matrix for nanocomposite contains 80 wt% pure cellulose acetate and 20 wt% triethyl citrate plasticizer. Results show that better exfoliated and intercalated structure were obtained from nanocomposites containing 5 and 10 wt% organoclay compared with that of 15 wt% organoclay. Tensile strength of ceUulosic plastic reinforced with 10 wt% organoclay improved by 180 % and thermal stability of the cellulosic plastic also increased. 

Clays (such as montmorillonite, laponite etc.) are usually employed as reinforcing filler to improve thermal stability as well as the stiffness and tensile strength of polymeric materials. Montmorillonite and organically modified montmoriUonites -the latter showing an increased interfacial interaction between clay and polymer macromolecules - were incorporated into different polymeric materials such as PU [54], PCL [55], and chitosan/PVA [56], The incorporated clays were well distributed, exfoliated and oriented along the fiber axis. It was reported that, during the... 

Jimenez et al. also investigated blends of PCL reinforced by an organically-modified montmorillonite clay, with a view to using inert inorganic structures to enhance the properties of PCL for which Tg and T are low. With the montmorillonite having a layered structure, it was hoped to intercalate the polymer from solution with the clay [173]. 

The reinforcing properties of organically modified montmorillonite clay have been studied in several other polymers, including liquid crystalline polymers [45], and the suspension of montmorillonite in aqueous media containing polyelectrolytes [46]. 

Liu, Petrovic, and Xu (2009) prepared clay-reinforced PU foams obtained using a soybean oil-based polyol, focusing on the analysis of the effects of incorporating different types and concentrations of organically modified nanoclays. They showed that a clay content with 2.5 wt% the compressive mechanical properties of the... 

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