System based on clay/polymer for biomedical application

Abstract

The objective of the present research was to investigate the intercalation of polymer-based surfactant, namely polyethylene-glycol (PEG) as a new montmorillonite MMT modifier inside the interlayer sheets of montmorillonite. A full microstructural characterization of the synthesized composites clays-polymers by XRD, FT-IR, TGA and DSC was performed. The XRD patterns and the FTIR spectra of the composites revealed that PEG was successfully intercalated into the galleries of MMT-Na since the basal spacing of the modified clay minerals was increased. The effect of the introduction of the clay on the crystallization temperature (Tc), melting temperature (Tm) and crystallization degree of PEG in the composites was prospected by DSC. The decrease of thermal stability of PEG in the nanocomposite, detected by TGA analysis is ascribed to the loss in the crystallinity of the PEG.