Mechanical and thermal properties of liquid crystal polymer/organoclay composite

Abstract

The liquid crystal polymer/organoclay composites were prepared by melt intercalation of liquid crystal polymer and montmorillonite clay organically modified with intercalating agent. The surfactant, haxadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide was used to modify the montmorillonite surface to obtain the organoclay by ionic exchange between the interlayer cation and the surfactant cation. The resulting liquid crystal polymer intercalated into the organoclay was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometry (FTIR). Tensile testing indicated that the reinforcement in the composites was more effective than pure polymer. The thermal stability and flammability of the liquid crystal polymer/organoclay composite were measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and UL- 94, respectively. By adding organoclay, the thermal stability was improved but the surfactant decreased the thermal stability. The UL- 94, V- 0 rating was achieved for the liquid crystal polymer/organoclay composites with varying organoclay contents