Surfactant Assisted One-Pot Method for Preparation of Polyethylene-Clay Nanocomposites (PECN) and Study of their Viscoelastic Behaviour

This work demonstrates a one-pot soft template-assisted technique for developing polyethylene clay nanocomposite (PECN) using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelle as structure directing agent. Linear and shear viscosities of the composite were studied in the oscillatory and rotational modes. The effect of clay content, temperature and gallery space on the storage modulus and steady-state viscosities were analyzed. The composite exhibited enhanced storage modulus over the pristine polymer, confirming strong interaction between the clay platelet and polymer molecules. The prepared PECN showed superior thermal stability, phase transition temperature, flame retardancy and mechanical properties as compared to the conventional composite. Morphological studies using SEM and TEM also confirmed the formation of the nanocomposite. This one step surfactant-assisted emulsion method offers a broad scope in designing polymer clay nanocomposites with exciting properties and consequent applications.