Bentonite clays from Boa Vista/PB were used to obtain organophilic clays. Organophilic clays were obtained with four types of quaternary salts of ammonium: asalkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (Dodigen), esthearildimethylammonium chloride (Praepagen), cethyltrimethylammonium chloride (Genamin) and cethyltrimethylammonium bromide (Bromide). The treated clays with salts and untreated clays were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Then, the clays were incorporated into polyethylene (PE) and Nylon6 (PA6) polymer matrices using conventional processing techniques. The mixtures were characterized by XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mechanical properties. The results obtained by FTIR showed the presence of specific groups of the salts in the clay, while their intercalation among the clay layers was verified by XRD. As for the mechanical properties, the mixtures were more rigid than the pure polymers.
Organophilic bentonite clay; nanocomposites; polyethylene; nylon6
