Influence of Organoclay Prepared by Solid State Method on the Morphology and Properties of Polyvinyl Chloride/Organoclay Nanocomposites

In this study, organically modified clay (organoclay) is prepared by treating Na+ montmorillonite with alkylammonium ions and silane coupling agent KH-560 through a solid phase method. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)/ organoclay nanocomposites are prepared by melt intercalation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicate that PVC chains can intercalate into the gallery of the organoclay to form exfoliated PVC/ organoclay nanocomposites. The glass transition temperatures ( T g ) of PVC/ organoclay nanocomposites are studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the result shows the T g of PVC/organoclay nanocomposites are higher than that of neat PVC. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that organoclay can slow down the speed of thermal decomposition and tend to increase the on-set thermal decomposition temperature of the PVC. Mechanical properties test indicates that when the organoclay content is below 7 phr, the impact strength of PVC/organoclay nanocomposites are better than that of neat PVC.