Clay based polymeric composites: Preparation and quality characterization

Commercial clays Cloisites®Na+, 30B and 20A were labelled with the fluorescent dye Rhodamine B and used as fillers of polypropylene in order to prepare composites to be studied with confocal fluorescence microscopy. The dye uptake by clays was monitored by X-ray powder diffraction and spectroscopic analyses and clear evidences of intercalated dye in the organically modified montmorillonites Clo30B and Clo20A were obtained. Clay–Rhodamine B hybrids were investigated by steady-state absorption and emission spectroscopy to explore the effect of dye arrangement on the optical properties. The obtained information was used to rationalize fluorescence behaviour of composites. Confocal fluorescence imaging gave rise to bright fluorescent images of Cloisite aggregated labelled with the dye allowing to easily and directly visualize the 3-D dispersion of the labelled fillers in the polymer matrix in a non-invasive manner. The images were analyzed in terms of size distribution of the fluorescence grains to quantify the dispersion degree. The data indicate that Clo20A is able to homogeneously distribute in the polymer matrix forming a composite material.