Web Release Date: January 23,
Microscopic Morphology of Chlorinated Polyethylene-Based
Nanocomposites Synthesized from Poly(
-caprolactone)/Clay
Masterbatches
and
Service de Chimie des Matériaux Nouveaux and Service des Matériaux Polymères et Composites, Centre d'Innovation et de Recherche en Matériaux Polymères (CIRMAP), Université de Mons-Hainaut, Place du Parc, 20, B-7000 Mons, Belgium, Unité de Microscopie Electronique, Materia Nova, Parc Initialis, Avenue Nicolas Copernic, 1, B-7000 Mons, Belgium, and Physical Chemistry and Polymer Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan, 2, B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
Received September 11, 2007
In Final Form: November 7, 2007
Abstract:
Chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) nanocomposites were synthesized by melt blending clay-rich/poly(-caprolactone)
(PCL) masterbatches to CPE matrices. The masterbatches were prepared following two synthetic routes: either PCL
is melt-blended to the clay or it is grafted to the clay platelets by in situ polymerization. The microscopic morphology
of the nanocomposites was characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy,
and modulated temperature differential scanning calorimetry. When using free PCL, intercalated composites are
formed, with clay aggregates that can have micrometric dimensions and a morphology similar to that of the talc
particles used as fillers in commercial CPE. PCL crystallizes as long lamellae dispersed in the polymer matrix. When
using grafted PCL, the nanocomposite is intercalated/exfoliated, and the clay stacks are small and homogeneously
dispersed. PCL crystallizes as lamellae and smaller crystals, which are localized along the clay layers. Thanks to the
grafting of PCL to the clay platelets, these crystalline domains are thought to form a network with the clay sheets,
which is responsible for the large improvement of the mechanical properties of these materials.
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