José Costa de Macêdo Neto

Intercalation and Characterization of Kaolinite Amazon to Production Polymer Nanocomposites

Polymer nanocomposites using natural clays such as nanofiller have mechanical properties, flame-retardant, the gas barrier improvement compared to polymers without nanoclay. The aim of this work is intercalated molecules between the clay layers and characterize it with a view to its use in polymer nanocomposites. The kaolinite neat and modified used was characterized by fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XDR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetry (TGA). The results showed that kaolinite can be used as a nanofiller in polymer nanocomposites.

New Insights on the Morphology of Nanocomposite Prepared by In Situ Emulsion Polymerization

In order to better understand the morphology and properties of polymer nanocomposites it is necessary to conduct their characterization by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). This work shows a technique through which the nanocomposite powder is mixed with a resin, and after cured, thin sections can be obtained by ultramicrotomy. Another technique presented in this work deals with the observation of clay powder in solution. In this work High Resolution Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) was used to obtain images of the nanocomposites and clay. Images with a high level of details were showed. Through the use of such techniques, it was possible to observe two types of clay morphology in polymer matrix and its distribution. The dimensions and hexagonal layers of the natural clay used as nanofiller for the nanocomposite were also observed. The X-ray Diffraction (XRD) was used to investigate the kaolinite and nanocomposite.

Characterization by TEM of kaolinite to production of polymer nanocomposites

Kaolinite is a natural clay mineral that has been used as reinforcement in nanocomposites polymer. The characterization of clay is very important to understand the properties of the nanocomposites. In this paper the clay and nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XDR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was possible to observe the size and morphology of the clay as well as the aspect ratio.