Preparation of organic vermiculite/polymethylmethacrylate nanocomposite featuring excellent mechanical and thermal properties via ultrasonic in situ polymerisation

To improve the dispersion of organically modified vermiculite (OVMT) in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), the method of ultrasonic in situ polymerization was introduced, and a series of OVMT/PMMA nanocomposites were successfully prepared. The structure, morphology, and mechanical and thermal properties of as-prepared sample had been investigated. Results showed that the assistance of ultrasonic irradiation could be beneficial for the good homogeneous dispersion and strong interfacial interaction of OVMT in PMMA. Consequently, the obtained nanocomposites showed better mechanical and thermal properties than those prepared without the assistance of ultrasonic irradiation. When the OVMT content was 3 wt.%, the nanocomposite prepared by ultrasonic in situ polymerization exhibited the Young's modulus, tensile strength, elongation at break and degradation temperatures for 5% and 50% weight loss of 1177 MPa, 65 MPa, 14%, 219.82ºC and 373.91ºC, respectively. These results suggested the great potential application of ultrasonic in situ polymerization for the synthesis of polymer/clay nanocomposite.