Probing the Properties of Nanocomposites Synthesized from Aramid and Surface-Modified Clay

Sonia Zulfiqar; Zahoor Ahmad; Muhammad Ilyas Sarwar

doi:10.1071/CH08260

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Probing the Properties of Nanocomposites Synthesized from Aramid and Surface-Modified Clay

Sonia Zulfiqar ^A , Zahoor Ahmad ^B and Muhammad Ilyas Sarwar ^A ^C ^D

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad-45320, Pakistan.

^B Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, PO Box 5969, Safat-13060, Kuwait.

^C Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.

^D Corresponding author. Email: ilyassarwar@hotmail.com

Australian Journal of Chemistry 62(5) 441-447 https://doi.org/10.1071/CH08260
Submitted: 20 June 2008 Accepted: 26 February 2009 Published: 15 May 2009

Abstract

Nanocomposites were prepared by the inclusion of layered silicates into the aramid matrix via a solution intercalation technique. Polyamide was synthesized by reacting 4,4′-oxydianiline with isophthaloyl chloride and then end-capping with carbonyl chloride end groups using excess diacid chloride. The compatibility between the two phases was obtained through surface modification of montmorillonite with long-chain alkyl diamine. The nanocomposites were characterized with regard to structural, morphological, mechanical, thermal, and water absorption measurements. These investigations confirmed the formation of delaminated and disordered intercalated nanostructures at different clay loadings. Mechanical properties were significantly enhanced relative to pristine polyamide, even with the addition of only 2 wt-% of nanoclay. Thermal decomposition temperatures of the nanocomposites were in the range 300–450°C. Glass transition temperature data exhibited improvement (123°C) up to 16 wt-% addition of organoclay. Water absorption of the neat aramid was rather high (5.7%), but decreased with augmenting clay content.

Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the financial support provided by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) through a project research grant 20–23-ACAD (R) 03–410. Sonia Zulfiqar is grateful to the HEC for awarding her fellowship under the International Research Support Initiative Program (IRSIP) to pursue research work at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P), Mainz, Germany. Special thanks are due to Professor Dr Gerhard Wegner, Director, MPI-P, for providing the characterization facilities for the completion of the present work.

References

Probing the Properties of Nanocomposites Synthesized from Aramid and Surface-Modified Clay

Abstract

Acknowledgements

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