Surface characterisation of montmorillonite/PVC nanocomposites by inverse gas chromatography

Inverse gas chromatography is a rather useful technique for evaluating the potential of the interaction of polymers, polymer nanocomposites and their different components. In this study, the dispersive component of the surface free energy and surface acid–base constants of montmorillonite/PVC and organo-montmorillonite/PVC nanocomposites, prepared using the solution blending method, will be determined using the inverse gas chromatography. The glass transition temperatures of nanocomposites have been determined using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Furthermore, the morphology and surface functional groups of the materials have been analysed with the aid of x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The dispersive component values (γSd) of the surface free energy of PVC nanocomposites containing 1%, 5%, and 10% oMMT and 5% MMT wt% at 50 °C have been calculated as 39.6, 40.2, 41.6, and 34.0 mJ/m2 respectively, and the KD/KA values have been determined as 1.83, 2.18, 2.47, and 1.46 respectively. It was observed that there is an increase in the KD/KA value, and the nanocomposites display a more basic character with the increasing amount of organo-bentonite in the PVC.