The influence of 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane on thermostability, tensile behavior and water resistance of polyvinyl acetate/clay nanocomposite

A novel clay-silane coupling agent-polymer hybrid material based on polyvinyl acetate (PVAc)–organophilic montmorillonite (OMMT) and 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (KH570) has been prepared via in situ emulsion polymerization and studied the influence of KH570 on thermostability, tensile behavior and water resistance of nanocomposite. The structure of the nanocomposite was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The Morphological studies showed that the OMMT was satisfactorily dispersed in the PVAc/OMMT/KH570 nanocomposite and most of them were exfoliated. Thermal properties of the samples were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Thermogravimetry results indicated that the initial weight-loss temperature of PVAc/OMMT/KH570 nanocomposite was enhanced from 241.0 to 298.5°C. The tensile strength was 11.4 ± 0.3 MPa for PVAc/OMMT/KH570 nanocomposite while the value of PVAc was 7.6 ± 0.3 MPa. And the water-resistance obtained by means of water-solution content and water absorption analysis was improved remarkably as well. Generally speaking, we synthesized PVAc/OMMT/KH570 nanocomposite with excellent thermostability, good mechanical property and superior water-resistance.