Structural Nanocomposite Fabrication from Self-Assembled Choline Chloride Modified Kaolinite into Poly(Methylmethacrylate)

Abstract

Composite materials produced from indigenous nanoscale particles and synthetic polymers have created demand in the field of nanoscience and technology. Layered silicates are potential candidates for reinforcing the properties of composites. Here, we report the fabrication of nanocomposites using poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) as the matrix and the Bijoypur clay of Bangladesh known as kaolinite (200–250 nm) as the filler via solution casting. Kaolinite was first modified using choline chloride to prepare core-shell particles through a precipitation technique and was used for self-assembled nanocomposite films preparation. A series of nanocomposites films using 0, 1, 3, 5 and 10% (w/w) modified kaolinite was prepared. The neat PMMA and nanocomposite films were characterized by attenuated total reflection infra-red (ATR-IR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The mechanical properties, thermal stability, and morphology of the films were investigated using a universal testing machine (UTM), a thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA), and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The nanocomposite films exhibited better mechanical properties and thermal stability than neat PMMA film. Development of such structural nanocomposite materials using naturally occurring nanoscale particles would play a crucial role in the field of materials science for packaging applications and separation technology.