Effect of Polymerizable Surfactant Modified Clay on the Morpholorgy and Flexural Properties of Diallyl Phthalate/Clay Nanocomposites

The objective of this study is to examine the role of polymerizable and unpolymerizable pendant group of surfactant in clay dispersion in diallyl phthalate (DAP) matrix and evaluate the mechanical properties of resulting nanocomposites. Results of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and high magnification Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) indicate an intercalated morphology for both types of nanocomposites, while low magnification TEM results show better dispersion of clay tactoids in the nanocomposite formulated with organclay containing polymerizable terminal pendant group. The mechanical properties of nanocomposites with organoclay loading of I, 3, 5 and 7 wt%, respectively, were determined by performing flexural measurements. The testing results show that the nanocomposite formulated with organclay containing polymerizable terminal pendant group has better flexural properties than that formulated with organoclay containing unpolymerizable pendant group.