Well-dispersed clay in photopolymerized poly(ionic liquid) matrix

This contribution presents a methodology for combining the solvating power of ionic liquids with polymer composite synthesis. A polymerizable ionic liquid was used as solvent to disperse clay, after which the mixture was polymerized into a solid polymer-clay composite. Polymer-clay composites were prepared with filler loadings up to 10 wt%. The addition of clay as filler enhanced mechanical properties; tensile strength and stiffness of the materials exhibited appreciable improvements. The glass transition temperature of the materials shifted to slightly higher temperatures due to the hindered segmental motions of the polymer chains. The improvements were the highest at approximately 5 wt% filler content. When the filler content was increased further, excessive aggregate formation impaired the material properties.