An improved technique for exfoliating and dispersing nanoclay particles into polymer matrices using supercritical carbon dioxide

An environmentally benign process, which uses supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO₂) as a processing aid, is developed in this work to help exfoliate and disperse nanoclay into the polymer matrices. The process relies on rapid expansion of the clay followed by direct injection into the extruder where the mixture is dispersed into the polymer melt. Results from the mechanical properties, rheological studies, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) show that this method represents a significant improvement relative to direct melt blending in single or twin-screw extruders or other methods using sc-CO₂. The greatest mechanical property response was a result of directly injecting pre-mixed sc-CO₂ and nanoclay into the polypropylene melt during extrusion. It was observed that for concentrations as high as 6.6 wt% (limited only by present process capabilities), XRD peaks were eliminated, suggesting a high degree of exfoliation. Mechanical properties such as modulus increased by as much as 54%. The terminal region of the dynamic mechanical spectrum was similar to that of the base polymer, contrary to what is frequently reported in the literature.