The surface characteristics of organoclays and their effect on the properties of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) nanocomposites

Biobased materials developed in conjunction with nanotechnology are poised to achieve a significant presence in the world market for polymeric materials. An example of an engineering polymer that can be partially derived from biomass is poly(trimethylene terephthalate). One of its raw materials, 1,3-propanediol, can be derived from corn sugar. In the present study we used a fully petroleum-based resin as an analog to the biobased material. Five organically modified montmorillonite clays were characterized via moisture uptake studies to determine the hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature of their surfaces. Nanocomposites were produced via melt compounding followed by injection molding with 5 wt.% organoclay loading to determine which modification gave the best balance of mechanical and thermal properties. It was found that the tensile modulus increased by up to 35% and the tensile stress at break by up to 50%. The heat deflection temperature of the nanocomposites versus the neat polymer increased by up to 33 °C. From these results, one organoclay was selected for detailed study over a loading range of 0–5 wt.%. The testing revealed that over this range, changes in the mechanical properties may go through a maximum (e.g. strength) or increase/decrease to a plateau (e.g. modulus, elongation at break). X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were also used to characterize the nature of the organoclay/polymer interaction. Biobased poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/organoclay nanocomposites are expected to exhibit properties similar to the petroleum-based resin.