Recycled clay/PET nanocomposites evaluated by novel rheological analysis approach

Clay-polymer nanocomposites exhibit complex rheological behavior due to physical and also possibly chemical interactions between individual phases. Up to now, rheology of clay-polymer nanocomposites has been usually described by evaluation of complex viscosity curve (shear thinning phenomenon), storage modulus curve (G´ secondary plateau) or plotting parameters characterizing damping behavior (e.g. Van Gurp-Palmen-plot, Cole-Cole plot). On the contrary to evaluation of damping behavior, new approach - based on evaluation of rigidity behavior - was tested, where the values of cot δ were calculated and called as „storage factor“, analogically to broadly used loss factor. Afterwards, values of storage factor were integrated over measured frequency range and called as “cumulative storage factor”. In this contribution, clay-PET nanocomposites with different organoclays have been prepared and characterized by both conventional as well as novel analysis approach. Rheological results have been supported by AFM micrographs.