New fluoroelastomer nanocomposites from synthetic montmorillonite

Abstract In the field of polymer–clay nanocomposite, naturally occurring montmorillonite clays are the most commonly used nanofillers. In the present work, montmorillonite-like layered silicates were synthesized in the laboratory with an intention to understand the structure–property relationship of polymer-nanocomposites, with special reference to the characteristics of the nanoclays. The clays and their nanocomposites were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, infra-red spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It was observed that clay formation was a function of the concentration of the constituent materials. Mechanical, dynamic mechanical, swelling and thermal properties of these nanocomposites were also studied. The properties of these nanocomposites were compared with the nanocomposites obtained from natural clay, available commercially. Synthetic clay filled samples showed better properties than the natural clay filled samples. The results were explained with the help of thermodynamics and morphology.