Synthesis and barrier properties of poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐layered silicate nanocomposites

TLDR: In this article, a polymer-ceramic nanocomposite was synthesized consisting of well-dispersed, two-dimensional layers of an organically modified mica-type silicate (MTS) within a degradable poly(e-caprolactone) matrix.

Abstract: A new polymer-ceramic nanocomposite has been synthesized consisting of well-dispersed, two-dimensional layers of an organically modified mica-type silicate (MTS) within a degradable poly(e-caprolactone) matrix. A protonated amino acid derivative of MTS was used to promote delamination/dispersion of the host layers and initiate ring-opening polymerization of e-caprolactone monomer, resulting in poly(e-caprolactone) chains that are ionically bound to the silicate layers. The polymer chains can be released from the silicate surface by a reverse ion-exchange reaction and were shown to be spectroscopically similar to pure poly(e-caprolactone). Thick films of the polymer nanocomposite exhibit a significant reduction in water vapor permeability that shows a linear dependence on silicate content. The permeability of nanocomposite containing as low as 4.8% silicate by volume was reduced by nearly an order of magnitude compared to pure poly(e-caprolactone)