Chemistry Project Abstract
EXFOLIATION OF CLAY NANOPARTICLES THROUGH POLYMERIZATION
Presenter:
Amy Peterson, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 West Sullivan Road, Aurora, IL, 60506; amylou@imsa.edu
Mentor:
Dr. Giuseppe Palmese, Drexel University, Department of Chemical Engineering, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104; 215-895-5814; palmese@coedrexel.edu
Abstract:
By cationically polymerizing a mixture of epoxy and Cloisite, a natural montmorillonite, the layers of Cloisite will be intercalated. It is possible and desirable that these Cloisite layers will be exfoliated by the replacement of active centers embedded between Cloisite layers with monomer molecules, which grow into polymer chains when the solution is reacted. Samples were mechanically mixed for five minutes and heated overnight at 80ºC. Once polymerized, plaques were postcured to ensure that all active material had been cured. To judge the properties of the samples, many tests were performed. Using a Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA), the loss and storage moduluses of the composites were assessed. This allowed for a calculation of the transition temperature from a glassy state to a rubbery one (the TG) as well as the storage modulus at 75ºC after the TG, approximately the area where the storage modulus levels out after the peak(s). Using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy data, a graph was also composed of the ratio between the size of the epoxy peak (which decreases as polymerization occurs) and a peak that is constant for all samples. This ratio is a measure of how well reacted the samples are.