| Abstract: | Polyamide‐6/silica nanocomposites were prepared via an in situ polymerization route using silicic acid as the precursor of silica, which was extracted from water glass. Scanning electron microscopy observations showed that the silica particles were well dispersed in the polyamide‐6 matrix on the nanometer scale, which demonstrated that this method could effectively avoid agglomeration of the inorganic particles. The coupling agent, (γ‐aminopropyl) triethoxysilane, was added to introduce interfacial interactions between the silica and the polymer matrix, which led to an increased graft of polymer on the silica surface and made the material display higher performance. It was found that the incorporation of the inorganic component significantly increased the melt viscosity, tensile strength, Young's modulus, thermal decomposition temperature, glass transition temperature and Vicat softening temperature of the polyamide‐6 resin. The reinforcement of the silica particles was clearly demonstrated. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry |
