A rheological method to compare the degree of exfoliation of nanocomposites

Abstract A method to quantify the shear thinning effect for polymer–clay nanocomposites has been developed. It relies on the shear thinning exponent n . The method allows to compare the extent of delamination of platelet stacks based on a routine polymer characterization experiment. Since technical properties of nanocomposites are closely linked to delamination or exfoliation, the method helps to predict the level of properties of a nanocomposite. The method is expected to become a highly useful analytical tool in the development of nanocomposites from thermoplastic polymers and virtually all kinds of platy, fibrous, or dendritic filler materials with high aspect ratio.