Poly(3-hexadecylthiophene)/montmorillonite clay nanocomposites: Influence of preparation and type of clay on their structures

A nanocomposite of poly(3-hexadecylthiophene) (PHDT) with montmorillonite (MMT) was prepared by in situ polymerization (PHDT/MMT) and nanocomposites of PHDT with organomontmorillonite clay (OrgMMT) were prepared by both in situ polymerization (PHDT/OrgMMT) and by the solvent casting method (PHDT/OrgMMT-sc). The nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). PHDT/OrgMMT was also characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). FTIR spectra indicate the presence of the clay in the polymer matrices and show variations on the frequency of the Si-O-Si stretching vibration. The XRD diffractograms indicate that PHDT/MMT and PHDT/OrgMMT-sc are intercalated nanocomposites, while PHDT/OrgMMT is mostly exfoliated, but present also some intercalation, as confirmed by TEM.