Dynamic Mechanical Performances of Polyester—Clay Nanocomposite Thick Films

Abstract

Dynamic mechanical properties of polyester—montmorillonite nanocomposite thick films, prepared by the in situ intercalative polymerization method, were evaluated in a tensile mode. A fast fabrication procedure was chosen to allow industrial applications. A total time less than 1 h was sufficient to obtain a thick film which could be cut for the specimen preparation. The final films had a thickness of 250 μm and a nano-clay content ranging from 0 to 10 wt%. A differential scanning calorimeter was used to investigate the effect of the clay content on the resin polymerization kinetics whereas tensile tests were performed to make a comparison with dynamic mechanical results. The maximum in the mechanical performances was obtained at the clay content of 1 wt% at which an increase of about 55% for the storage modulus was measured in comparison with the unfilled resin.