Spectroscopic Studies of Poly(ε-Caprolactone)/Sodium Montmorillonite Nanocomposites

Polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites belong to a new class of hybrid materials consisting of organic-synthetic polymer matrix and inorganic filler-layered structure clay minerals. The paper presents the results of FTIR, NMR, and SAXS studies of poly(ε-caprolactone)/sodium montmorillonite nanocomposites. We observed a correlation between the concentration of poly(ε-caprolactone) in nanocomposite samples and structural changes both of the clay mineral and the intercalated polymer. Stiffening of the clay structure appears as a result of poly(ε-caprolactone) intercalation into a clay structure. Al NMR studies indicated in nanocomposites two non-equivalent sites of aluminium ions, i.e. in octahedral and tetrahedral coordination, whereas in the montmorillonite clay structure the aluminium ions are located in the interlayer space too. We found also that the temperatures of structural changes and softening process of poly(ε-caprolactone) chains in the nanocomposites depend on the concentration of poly(ε-caprolactone).