Organic/inorganic hybrid materials and nanocomposites based upon layered silicates modified with cyclic amidines

Various cyclic amidinium cations were used to exchange intergallery sodium cations of water swellable fluorohectorite in order to produce novel families of organic/inorganic hybrid materials. Oligomeric cyclic amidinium cations, such as mono(imidazolinium) terminated oligostyrene, oligostyrene-co-oligo(acrylonitrile), and oligo(methyl methacrylate) with number-average molecular masses around 3000 g/mol afforded effective exfoliation during melt processing. Morphology and dynamic mechanical properties were measured as a function of silicate content and silicate modification.