Preparation and characterization of new polyamide/montmorillonite nanocomposites containing azo moiety in the main chain

Two new samples of polyamide/montmorillonite reinforced nanocomposites containing 4,4′-azobenzoic acid moiety in the main chain were synthesized by a convenient solution intercalation technique. Polyamide (PA) 4 as a source of polymer matrix was synthesized by the direct polycondensation reaction of 4,4′-azobenzoic acid 2 with 4,4′-diamino diphenyl ether 3 in the presence of triphenyl phosphite (TPP), CaCl2, pyridine and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). Morphology and structure of the resulting PA-nanocomposite films 4a and 4b with 10 and 20% silicate particles were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of clay dispersion and the interaction between clay and polymeric chains on the properties of nanocomposites films were investigated by using UV-vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and water uptake measurements.