Title

Polymer/clay nanocomposites: Influence of ionic strength on the structure and adhesion characteristics in multilayered films

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-12-2008

Abstract

The aim of the present contribution is to understand how ionic strength, brought by the addition of salt to laponite/PEO nanocomposite dispersions, influences the texture and adhesion characteristics at nano- and microscales in multilayered nanocomposite films prepared from such dispersions. At the nano-scale, SAXS and XRD measurements indicated that the clay platelets orient parallel to the film plane and that the polymer chains intercalate the clay platelets regardless of salt addition. A gradual transition from an agglomerated structure, containing polymer-rich and clay-rich domains, to a fine-balanced structure with smaller distinct details without excess PEO was observed, via AFM, on the exposed edges of cryomicrotomed films with increasing ionic strength. © 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Macromolecular Materials and Engineering

First Page

771

Last Page

780

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