Preparation and properties of montmorillonite/carbon foam nanocomposites

Montmorillonite (Mt)/carbon foam nanocomposites were prepared by direct carbonization of organic montmorilonite (OMt)/bismaleimide (BMI) resin mixtures at ambient pressure. Carbonization behaviors of the OMt/BMI resin mixtures were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In addition, the influences of the additive amount of OMt on the microstructures, physical properties and compressive behaviors and oxidation resistance of the resulting nanocomposites were investigated. Results show that with the increasing of the additive amount of OMt, the pore walls of the nanocomposites become thick and their average pore sizes decrease. When the additive amount of OMt varies from 0 to 1.5 wt%, the mechanical properties, bulk density and oxidation resistance of the nanocomposites are improved and their thermal conductivity is markedly decreased. For the nanocomposite prepared with 1.5 wt% of OMt, its bulk density, thermal conductivity, compressive strength and modulus arrive at 0.35 g/cm3, 0.108 W/m·K, 6.90 MPa and 207 MPa, respectively.