Mechanical properties of nylon 6/Brazilian clay nanocomposites

Abstract In this work, nanocomposites of nylon 6 with montmorillonite clay, untreated and treated with two different quaternary ammonium salts (Dodigen and Genamin) were obtained. The originality of this work is that the study includes the Brazilian clay, different clay treatments and the comparison of the results from mechanical properties and X-ray diffraction of nanocomposites. The results indicated that the quaternary ammonium salts were intercalated between the layers of clay, causing an expansion of the interlayer spacing. The obtained nanocomposites showed better mechanical properties when compared to nylon 6. Apparently the treated and untreated clay were compatible with the polymer matrix and presented an exfoliated nanocomposite structure. So, the nanocomposites showed an increase in tensile modulus and yield strength and a decrease in elongation.