Use of 3-D surfactants as Organic Modifier for the Synthesis of Polymer/Montmorillonite Clay Nanocomposites by In-situ Polymerization

Abstract

In-situ polymerization was used to synthesize novel nanocomposite materials based on montmorillonite clay and 3-D surfactants as organic modifier for the clay. Initially montmorillonite was organophilized by using different 3-D surfactants and free radical & ring-opening polymerizations were conducted in the presence of organophilic montmorillonite clay. In this study we also verified the rule of water on PMMA/clay nanocomposites synthesized by in situ polymerization in ethanol and supercritical carbon dioxide. The reactions were conducted in both aqueous and non-aqueous solvent system to observe the intercalation and exfoliation behavior of the clay and the properties of the nanocomposites. Organophilization with the three dimensional surfactants and a small amount of water molecules in the solvent reduced the surface energy of clay dramatically, which promoted the miscibility of polymer/clay nanocomposites. Poly (ε-caprolactone)/clay nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone in the presence of montmorillonite modified by hydroxyl functionalized quaternized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane surfactant.