Polyamide-6/Clay Nanocomposites: A Critical Review

Abstract

The plastics business is gathering around nanocomposites because of the unusual performance of these materials in some technologically important applications, such as automotive parts, packaging, textiles and flame resistant materials. The use of clay as the reinforcing component of polymers has transformed the properties of the resultant materials. These nanocomposites are regarded as futuristic. However the science of clay-polymer interaction is still a subject of intense investigation. The industrialization of nanocomposites is accelerating and efforts are being made to achieve still better performance by optimising of their compounding and processing conditions. Nanocomposites based on many different polymers have been, or are being developed. The current scenario in relation to polyamide-6/clay nanocomposites is presented in this article. Preparation, processing and application issues are addressed in particular.