A study on the preparation of polymer/montmorillonite nano-composite materials by photo-polymerization

The preparation of polymer/montmorillonite intercalation composite materials was studied by two kinds of photo-polymerization reaction (photo-acid generation and photo-radical generation). Small-angle X-ray diffraction was used for the structural characterization of montmorillonite contained in the products. Results indicated that, after chemical modification of montmorillonite, the monomer (methyl methacrylate) and the prepolymer (m-cresol/HMMM) were able to intercalate into the layers of clay and to polymerize ‘in situ’, thus producing photo-polymerized composite materials. The advantages and shortcomings of the method of photo-polymerization for the preparation of these composite materials are discussed. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry