Characterisation of poly(acrylamide)/montmorillonite nanocomposite synthesised by polymerisation induced by UV radiation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use alternative polymerisation methods, i.e. UV irradiation to synthesise poly(acrylamide)/montmorillonite nanocomposite and characterise the composite.Design/methodology/approach – Polymer/montmorillonite nanocomposite was synthesised by the polymerisation, induced by UV radiation and the structure of the composite was studied by means of FTIR, NMR(13 C, 27Al and 29Si) and X‐ray diffraction.Findings – The poly(acrylamide)/montmorillonite nanocomposite was synthesised by UV irradiation, and its structures showed that the acrylamide was intercalated in the lamina of montmorillonite in bimolecular layers. FTIR and NMR analyses showed that there was no major chemical change of the polymer chain associated with the intercalation. The interaction between montmorillonite and polymer was mainly related with the van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonding, not with the bonding involved with the carbon atoms.Research limitations/implications – There are few reports on the sy...