Dispersion of silicate nano-plates within poly(acrylic acid) and their interfacial interactions

Dispersion of the silicate nano-plates of clays within polymers for nanocomposite formation generally involved interactions of the polymers with the plate surfaces. In this paper, we provide preliminary evidence showing dependency of the dispersion on the interactions of the plate lattices with polymers. Experiments have been carried out on the dispersion of the natural clay, montmorillonite (≈0.5 g) within the aqueous solutions of poly(acrylic acid) at varying temperatures and the products analysed by X-ray diffraction and related techniques. In the product from reaction at 60 °C, the silicate plates are dispersed with fully extended chains of poly(acrylic acid) intercalated within the interlayer spaces between unexfoliated plates. Photoemission spectroscopy showed that during the process sodium ions are removed from the silicate surface. In the product from reaction at 85 °C or above, the silicate plates are partly exfoliated. During the process, Fe2+ ions within the clay lattice are oxidised by the acidic poly(acrylic acid) solution, which suggests strong reaction of poly(acrylic acid) with the silicate plates facilitating exfoliation. Interestingly, the Al and Mg concentrations in the lattice remain virtually unchanged during the reactions.