The effects of experimental parameters on the extent of intercalation of PMMA/MMT nanocomposites prepared in solution

The effects of various parameters on nanocomposite preparation by solution intercalation were studied. Nanocomposites of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and commercial organically modified montmorillonites (MMT) were prepared in solvents of different polarities, from strongly polar protic ethanol to nonpolar toluene. The extent of intercalation was studied in correlation with processing parameters, such as time of intercalation, temperature, concentration of PMMA/MMT in solution, and method of preparation determined by X‐ray diffractometer. Solvent polarity was the most important of all studied parameters. In general, the lower the dielectric constant of the solvent, the better the intercalation is; however, the exact correlation also depends on the type of modifier. Another important parameter is isolation of the nanocomposite, whereas other studied parameters are of minor importance. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009