Influence of organo-montomorillonite on mechanical and rheological properties of polyamide nanocomposites

Abstract: The effect of organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) on polyamide nanocomposites was studied. OMMT/polyamide nanocomposites were prepared through direct melt compounding on a conventional twin screw extruder. With increasing the loading of OMMT, the Young modulus, elongation at break and tensile strength increased. 1mass% loading of OMMT/polyamide resulted in 11% increase of the elongation at break compared to virgin polymer, while 4% loading showed 13%. Rheological data like torque, fusion time, viscosity and shear rate were also recorded on Brabender Plasticorder and were correlated with M = CS a and τ = K(γ) n . The value n <1 indicated pseudo-plastic nature of the polyamide/OMMT. The torque decreased with increased loading due to soft nature of OMMT, which acts as a lubricating agent. This improvement in mechanical properties with increase in amount of OMMT loading was also indicated by the reduction in shear viscosity and torque. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]