| Abstract: | A series of montmorillonite‐poly(ε‐caprolactone) nanocomposites were prepared according to a two‐stage procedure. In the first step Na‐type silicate clay was cation exchanged with protonated 12‐aminolauric acid. In the second step ε‐caprolactone was intercalated in the modified clay and ring‐opening polymerized. The clay content was varied regularly from 0 to 44 wt.‐%, with exfoliation of the silicate layers being detected by X‐ray diffraction in the nanocomposites dispersing up to at least 16 wt.‐% clay. Crystallization of poly(ε‐caprolactone) was not prevented in the nanocomposites, although it proceeded to a lower extent/order than in a homopolymer sample. The transport properties were investigated using water or dichloromethane as vapor permeants. In each case, a dual sorption behavior was observed as a function of the vapor activity because of the occurrence of different sorption mechanisms. The permeability of the nanocomposites to either permeant decreased with increasing clay content. In particular, the permeability behavior to water was largely dominated by the diffusion parameter. |
