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Thermal and structural characterization of montmorillonite – poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposites

M. TĂMĂŞAN1, V. SIMON1

Affiliation

  1. „Babeş-Bolyai” University, Faculty of Physics, 1 Kogalniceanu str., 400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania & Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, 42 Treboniu Laurian str., 400271 Cluj-Napoc

Abstract

Clay mineral / polymer nanocomposites have been proposed as very useful materials for a very large range of applications including the field of biomaterials for tissue engineering and systems for drug delivery. Nanocomposites (NCs) synthesized from a montmorillonite clay mineral (MMT) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) by solution intercalation method with different claypolymer weight ratios (1:1, 2:1 and 3:1) were characterized from structural, morphologic and thermal points of view. Structural characterization by powder X-ray diffraction analysis allowed evaluating the dispersion of the clay nanoparticles in the polymer matrix by monitoring the position, shape, and intensity of the basal reflections from the silicate layers. The thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis pointed out the NCs thermal stability and the influence of clay-polymer weight ratios on thermal transitions temperatures. Specific surface and porosimetry analyses by BET method showed a decrease in the specific surface area and in the pore volume of NCs with the decrease of the MMT/PVA ratio. NCs and MMT morphologies were also investigated using transmission electron microscopy..

Keywords

Clay-polymer nanocomposites, Montmorillonite, poly(vinyl alcohol), DTA/TGA, XRD, BET, TEM.

Submitted at: Sept. 26, 2012
Accepted at: Oct. 30, 2012

Citation

M. TĂMĂŞAN, V. SIMON, Thermal and structural characterization of montmorillonite – poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposites, Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials Vol. 14, Iss. 11-12, pp. 1053-1058 (2012)