Transmission electron microscopy organoclays

In the matrix of PLA/ polycaprilactone (PCL)/OMMT nano-composites, the silicate layers of the organoclay were intercalated and randomly distributed (Zhenyang et at, 2007). The PLA/PCL blend significantly improved the tensile and other mechanical properties by addition of OMMT. Thermal stability of PLA/PCL blends was also explicitly improved when the OMMT content is less than 5%wt. Preparation of PLA/thermoplastic starch/MMT nano-composites have been investigated and the products have been characterized using X-Ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and tensile measurements. The results show improvement in the tensile and modulus, and reduction in fracture toughness (Arroyo et ah, 2010). 

Nanocomposites with EPDM have been compatibilized with EPDM-MA. The viscoelastic data resembled those observed for the styrene copolymers small changes in Tg and modulus [Li et al., 2004]. However, the effect of MMT-ODA on depended strongly on T In CPNC with 5 wt% organoclay at -100 °C, , while at 25°C it reaches a maximum value of 2.6, compared with Er= 1.4 at this temperature. According to x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy the CPNC was exfoliated and dispersed uniformly. 

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is another useful tool for the morphological and structural analysis of nanomaterials. Thompson et al. [89] worked on isotactic (iPP)/EPDM/organoclay nanocomposites and concluded that the uniaxial plane deformation caused by compression of the nanocomposites contributed to the... 

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is the main technique to detect intercalation and exfoliation for polymer-clay nanocomposites. Polyethylene-clay nanocomposites samples with poor (Figure 3.13a) and good (Figure 3.13b) exfoliation are shown in Figure 3.13 [62]. Uniform exfoliation and distribution of clay nanolayers is obtained by in-situ polymerization only when ethylene is polymerized with a metallocene supported on the organoclay in this case. 

Fig. 4. Transmission electron microscopy of water-aided melt-dispersed organoclay in PA6. Courtesy of Dr M. van Es, DSM Reseach, Geleen.

Fig. 5. Transmission electron microscopy of a melt-intercalated organoclay tactoid in a PP matrix. Courtesy of Dr M. Bacia, UST Lille.

FIGURE 19.1 X-ray diffraction patterns and bright field transmission electron microscopy images of PLA nanocomposites prepared with organically modified synthetic fluorine mica. The number indicates amount of organoclay loading [27]. Reproduced from Ref. 27 with permission of American Chemical Society, USA. 

H. J. M. Hanley, C. D. Muzny, D. L. Ho, C. J. Glinka, and E. Manias, A SANS study of organoclay dispersions. International Journal of Thermophysics, 22 (2001), 1435 8. A. Morgan and J. Gilman, Characterization of polymer-layered silicate (clay) nanocomposites by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction A comparative study. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 87 (2003), 1329-38. 

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