| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1694895 | Applied Clay Science | 2013 | 6 Pages |
•Novel exfoliated polyamide-clay mineral nanocomposites were prepared.•Polymerization of lactams in presence of organomontmorillonite was monitored.•Presence of organomontmorillonite in feed speeds up the rate of polymerization.
Series of so far undescribed clay mineral polyamide nanocomposites (CPN) were prepared by hydrolytic polymerizations of η-capryllactam (L8), ω-laurolactam (L12) and N-methyl-ω-laurolactam (ML12) initiated with 12-aminododecanoic acid (ADA) in the presence of a organomontmorillonite (OMt). Polymerization process was markedly accelerated due to a contribution of acidolytic and cationic polymerization on the intercalated ADA and its hydrochloride. Simple kinetics of polymerization with constant number of growth centers is valid up to a high polymer yield for all the lactams under study. For the sake of comparison, polyamide 6 nanocomposites were synthesized both by the method of the in-situ ε-caprolactam (L6) polymerization and by polyamide 6 melt blending. Structures of the CPN were analyzed by X-ray diffraction.
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