Some Aspects on Thermal Degradation of Organo-Layer Silicates

Naturally occurring silicates, like montmorillonite (MMT) have received much attention as reinforcement materials for polymers because of their potentially high aspect ratio and unique intercalation (exfoliation) characteristic. Montmorillonite is of particular interest because it has a layered structure typically about 1nm in thickness and a high aspect ratio ranging from 100 to 1500 that, with proper exfoliation, can lead to platelets with high stiffness and strength dispersed in the polymer matrix. In this paper, we studied the delamination of Egyptian bentonite and Cloisite Na⁺ (USA) using different onium ions. The organo-clays were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), Derivativethermogravimetry (TGA), Thermogravimetry (TG), and Infrared spectroscopy (IR). Understanding the relationship between molecular structure of the modifying surfactant and the thermal stability of the organically modified layered silicates is critical to its processing and subsequent applications. Therefore, special emphasis is given to the study of the thermal degradation of the modified clays. The results of the thermal degradation of montmorillonite (MMT) and alkyl quaternary ammonium montmorillonite (OMMT) are discussed in this paper.