Morphology and Characterization of Clay-reinforced EPDM Nanocomposites

ABSTRACT: The clay-reinforced ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) nanocomposites with organo-montmorillonite (OMMT) and EPDM–clay conven-tional composites with pristine MMT are compared in terms of their morphology, mechanical properties, and solvent resistance. The maleic anhydride grafted EPDM (MAH-g-EPDM) is used as the compatiblizer for preparing clay-reinforced EPDM nanocomposites via a melt intercalation process. The formation of exfoliated nano-composites is confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Furthermore, the morphological change during the mixing times of vulcanization process through exerting shearing force on clay particles is discussed. The mechanical properties and solvent resistance of clay-reinforced EPDM nanocomposites are examined as a function of the organoclay content in the matrix of the polymer, the result shows remarkable improvement relative to that of conventional composites. KEY WORDS: clay-reinforced EPDM nanocomposites, exfoliation, organoclay, melt intercalation, morphology