Synthesis and structural study of poly(ethylene napthalate) (PEN)/clay nanocomposites

Nanocomposites are composites in which the reinforcement phase has one or more of its dimensions in the nanometer length scale. Polymer/clay nanocomposites are so-called because of the nanoscopic thickness of the high aspect ratio clay sheets when they are delaminated into individual layers in the polymer matrix. The reason for the burgeoning interest in polymer/clay nanocomposites in the past decade is two-fold. From the engineering point of view, polymer/clay nanocomposites offer an attractive alternative to conventional microcomposites because they often exhibit a quantum leap in performance, such as enhanced mechanical, physical and thermal properties, at relatively low inorganic loadings. Furthermore, in some cases, property changes, such as stiffness and toughness, which are traditionally considered to be inversely related, have been found to improve cooperatively in such systems