Novel melt-processable nylon-6/inorganic fullerene-like WS2 nanocomposites: Complex isothermal crystallization kinetics and melting behaviour

Environmentally friendly inorganic fullerene-like tungsten disulfide nanoparticles (IF-WS2) were used to produce new nylon-6 nanocomposites. In the nucleation-controlled regime, the crystallization rates for the nanocomposites are significantly faster than that for the neat nylon-6 as confirmed by DSC and X-ray diffraction techniques using synchrotron radiation. This fact was related to the high nucleation efficiency of IF-WS2 nanoparticles on the α′-form crystals of nylon-6. Other parameters such as the Avrami exponent, the equilibrium melting temperature, long period and the fold surface free energy of nylon-6 chains in the nanocomposites were obtained from the calorimetric data in order to determine the effect of the nanoparticles on them. The addition of IF-WS2 remarkably influences the energetics and kinetics of nucleation and growth of nylon-6 with a decrease in the fold surface free energy of 36–51%.

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► Environmentally friendly IF-WS2 is used to produce advanced nylon-6 NCPs.
► Melt-processable nylon-6 NCPs are obtained without using modifiers or surfactants.
► Novel IF-WS2 remarkably influences the nucleation and growth processes of nylon-6.
► High nucleating efficiency of IF-WS2 is observed for high-temperature α′-phase.
► New insights into crystallization and melting behaviour of nylon-6 in NCPs.