Role of Surfactants in the Properties of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate)/Purified Clay Nanocomposites

Purified clay was modified with different amounts of alkyl ammonium and phosphonium salts and used as filler in the preparation of PET nanocomposites via melt intercalation. The effect of this type of filler on morphology and thermal and mechanical properties of PET nanocomposites was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analyses (TG), tensile properties, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the mixture of alkyl ammonium and phosphonium salts favored the production of PET nanocomposites with intercalated and partially exfoliated morphologies with slight improvement in thermal stability. In addition, the incorporation of these organoclays tended to inhibit PET crystallization behavior, which is profitable in the production of transparent bottles

Efeito de diferentes tipos de argilas e modificadores orgânicos na morfologia e propriedades térmicas dos nanocompósitos de PET Effect of different types of clays and organic modifiers on the morphology and thermal properties of PET nanocomposites

Argilas bentoníticas natural e purificada (AN e AP) e montmorilonita (MMT), modificadas organicamente com os sais alquil amônio (A), alquil fosfônio (F) e com uma mistura de ambos (A e F), foram incorporadas, em teor de 1% em massa, ao PET pelo processo de fusão. Os híbridos obtidos foram caracterizados por difratometria de raios X (DRX), termogravimetria (TG), calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC) e microscopia eletrônica de transmissão (MET). Nanocompósitos com morfologia intercalada ordenada e intercalada desordenada/esfoliada foram obtidos quando manufaturados com as argilas organofilizadas com sal amônio e com a mistura dos sais amônio e fosfônio. A incorporação das argilas organofilizadas com o sal fosfônio ao PET não resultou na formação de nanocompósitos. As argilas organofílicas ANOA, APOF e MMTOF, quando misturadas ao PET, provocaram aumento da sua estabilidade térmica, além de atuarem como agentes nucleantes heterogêneos para o referido polímero, aumentando sua temperatura de cristalização. Este resultado é significativo do ponto de vista industrial, pois a baixa velocidade de cristalização do PET dificulta seu uso na preparação de artefatos injetados. Além disso, como as argilas bentoníticas fornecidas por empresa local apresentaram comportamento semelhante ao da montmorilonita importada, o uso dessa matéria-prima de menor custo, modificada com tecnologia nacional, pode ser uma alternativa atraente para aplicações do PET moldado por injeção onde o custo é um fator primordial.<br>Montmorillonite (MMT), natural (AN) and purified (AP) bentonite clays modified with alkyl ammonium (A), alkyl phosphonium (F) and a mixture of both (A and F) salts were incorporated (1% w/w) into PET by melt blending. The hybrids thus obtained were characterized by XRD, TG, DSC and TEM. Nanocomposites having intercalated ordered structures and intercalated disordered/exfoliated structures were obtained with the clays modified with the ammonium and the mixture of ammonium and phosphonium salts, respectively. A nanocomposite was not obtained with the addition of 1% w/w of an alkyl phosphonium modified clay into PET. The organoclays ANOA, APOF and MMTOF, when added to PET not only led to an increase in its thermal stability but also acted as heterogeneous nucleating agents, increasing its crystallization temperature. This result is industrially significant as the low crystallization rate of PET makes its use difficult in preparing injected goods. Besides, as the behaviour of the bentonite clays supplied by a local industry was similar to that of the imported montmorillonite, the use of this raw material of lower cost, modified with national technology, can be an attractive technology for injection molded PET applications, where cost is of utmost importance

Synthesis and Preparation of Chitosan/Clay Microspheres: Effect of Process Parameters and Clay Type

This work aimed to prepare chitosan/clay microspheres, by the precipitation method, for use in drug carrier systems. The influence of the process parameters, particularly two airflows of the drag system (2.5 and 10 L&#183;min&#8722;1) on the microspheres physical dimensions and properties, such as microstructure, degree of swelling and porosity were evaluated. The samples were characterized by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Water absorption and porosity tests were also performed. The results showed that the process parameters affected the size of the microspheres. The diameter, volume and surface area of the chitosan/clay microspheres decreased when they were prepared with the higher airflow of the drag system. The microspheres presented a porous microstructure, being the pore size, percentage of porosity and degree of swelling affected not only by the process parameters but also by the type of clay. Hybrids (chitosan/clay) with intercalated morphology were obtained and the hybrid prepared with montmorillonite clay at higher airflows of the drag system presented the greatest interlayer spacing and a more disordered morphology. Thus, it is certain that the chitosan/clay nanocomposite microspheres prepared with montmorillonite (CL clay) at higher airflows of the drag system can have good drug-controlled release properties