Two thermal characterization techniques, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used in this work. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of organoclay was performed with TGA (STA 6000, Perkin Elmer Co., Ltd., USA) operated in the temperature range from room temperature to 800 C and a heating rate of 10 C/min under nitrogen atmosphere. The modifying agent contents in the organoclays were determined based on the TGA thermograms in the temperature range of 150e500 C, according to equation (1) [19]. That is, the total exchanged moles of octadecylamine (i.e., modifying agent) per gram of organoclay (4amm) was estimated.