Abstract
The barrier properties of polymer-clay nanocomposites, with far less inorganic contents of layered-silicate fillers, are remarkably superior to those of neat polymers or their conventional counterparts. A simple renormalization group model is proposed to assess the influence of geometric factors (such as aspect ratio, orientation, and extent of exfoliation) of layered-silicate fillers on the barrier properties of polymer-clay nanocomposites. The results show that the aspect ratio of exfoliated silicate platelets has a critical role in controlling the microstructure of polymer-clay nanocomposites and their barrier properties. The estimated percolation thresholds of clay content for minimum permeability are in good agreement with experimental data.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 088303 |
| Journal | Physical Review Letters |
| Volume | 95 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 19 Aug 2005 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Physics and Astronomy