Effect of Textured Surfactant Brushes on Polymer-Layered Silicate Nanocomposite Morphology
Abstract
The morphological behavior of a series of polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites (PLSNs) has been investigated. The goal was to probe the effect of "textured" silicate surfaces on PLSN morphology. The nanocomposites were fabricated by mixing montmorillonite clay that was carefully modified with tailor-made polystyrene (PS) surfactants into a PS homopolymer matrix, where the chemical similarity of the matrix polymer and surfactants ensures complete miscibility of surfactant and homopolymer. To examine the effect of silicate surface "texture," clay was modified with combinations of long and short surfactants. The samples, characterized by small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), were fixing melt-annealed to allow the equilibrium morphology to develop. Based on the implications of the Balazs model and other work on the wetting behavior of polymer melts, textured surfaces were expected to promote tac intercalation of the homopolymer matrix matenal into the modified clay. Extensive characterization of both the modified clays as well as the resultant nanocomposites clearly showed that the modified clays exhibited a high degree of order, but also that only phase-separated morphologies were formed in the corresponding nanocomposites.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA420985
Entities
People
- Arnab Dasgupta
- Frederick L Beyer
- Mary E. Galvin
- Mary K. Kurian
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory