The effect of preliminary delamination of silicate filler on its exfoliation degree in polyvinyl alcohol/montmorillonite nanocomposites

It is found that the preliminary delamination of the silicate filler allows one to achieve its high degree of exfoliation in the process of preparing polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites. It is shown using the example of various forms of montmorillonite, such as natural, intercalated with large [A113O4(OH)24(H2O)12]7+ Keggin ions, and pillared, that polyvinyl alcohol/montmorillonite nanocomposite films show much higher strength characteristics in the case of using a delaminated silicate component. According to the data of small angle X-ray diffraction studies, the almost complete exfoliation of silicate layers is observed, particularly for delaminated forms of montmorillonite. The thermal stability of the composites slightly decreases in comparison with pure PVA.