The research on polymer/clay nanocomposites was initiated by Toyota in the late 80s. From then on, the world scientific community has turned its attention to this type of material due to the enhanced mechanical, chemical and thermal properties in comparison to traditional composites. In Brazil, it was not different, as can be seen from the countless scientific works on nanocomposites which have emerged in the early 21th century. The aim thus is, after discussing the definitions related to the polymer/ clay nanocomposites, to show Brazilian scientific works on the general use of plastics, engineering plastics and other types of polymers, correlating them with their production method, final morphology and resulting properties. Finally, a map of the Brazilian research into polymer/clay nanocomposites and their future perspective are presented.
Nanocomposite; polymer; clay
