A bibliometric analysis of the scientific production of clay-based polymeric nanocomposites.

Abstract

Abstract Clays and clay minerals are widely used in many facets of our society. Therefore, when dealing with the formation of polymer/clay nanocomposites, it promotes significant changes in mechanical, physical, and chemical properties in relation to the pure polymer matrix. This increases the interest of researchers in the field of nanotechnology, especially when it comes to the following properties: increase in strength and rigidity, improvement of rheological properties, and, mainly, increasing barrier properties to gasses and liquids. The objective of this work is to carry out a review of the literature on the academic production of clay-based polymeric nanocomposites and their applications in research areas in institutions around the world, using mapping analysis using the VOSviewer Software. A reference manager application was used to retrieve survey data. The data obtained are the result of a search for the keyword “clay and polymers and nanocomposites”. Up to 14,786 articles published related to the themes were analyzed between 1991 and 2022. Results showed that research on the production of clay-based polymeric nanocomposites increased from 1995 to 2014, but decreased from 2015 to 2021. his study helps researchers to conduct and determine targeted research topics and serve as a reference.