The degradation of polycarbonate during the melt-compounding with three montmorillonites, with different organic modifications, has been studied using different spectroscopic techniques, thermogravimetric analysis and dilute solution viscosimetry. The selected clays were two montmorillonites modified in the laboratory, with a bisphenol-A containing silane and a polyethylenimine, respectively, and a commercial montmorillonite, Cloisite™ 15A. The results indicate that the three clays catalyze the hydrolytic degradation of polycarbonate, which explains the great reduction in the average molar mass of PC, observed by viscosimetry, as well as the appearance of phenolic compounds, observed in the UV spectra and in the fluorescence emission. There is a strong correlation between the normalized absorption at 287 nm, assigned to the phenolic units, and the reduction in the average molar mass. The degradation catalyzed by the clays explains also the appearance in some nanocomposites of a weight loss step at low temperatures, observed in the thermogravimetric analysis. The fluorescence spectroscopy has been found to provide useful information about the clay-induced degradation of PC.
All the experimental techniques indicate that the commercial clay used as a reference causes a most severe degradation than the clays modified in the laboratory. This result has been explained taking into account that, on one hand, the organic modification of the commercial clay suffers the Hoffmann degradation during the melt compounding of the PC nanocomposites, thus generating acidic sites on the silicate layers which catalyze the hydrolytic degradation of the polymer. On the other hand, the commercial clay gives a better exfoliation than the laboratory ones, and the close contact with the polymer is necessary for the clay action on the degradation. Moreover, the TEM analysis reveals that the two clays modified in the laboratory appear in the composite surrounded by dark impurities, tentatively explained as degraded rests of the chemical modifications of the clays, which hinder the close contact with the polymer.
The degradation of polycarbonate also depends on the amount of clay and the processing temperature. However, the apparent water content of the clay does not appear to play a significant role in this case.
The obtained results indicate that the degradation of PC during the melt processing of the clay-reinforced nanocomposites may be characterized using fluorescence emission and UV absorption spectroscopic techniques. The clays modified by us in the laboratory cause substantially less degradation of the polymer than the commercial clay used as a reference.
Acknowledgments
The valuable aid of Juan Luis Baldonedo, of the Centro Nacional de Microscopía Electrónica (ICTS-CNME), for obtaining the TEM images is gratefully acknowledged. The authors acknowledge also the financial support of the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) (project MAT2010-19883), the Comunidad de Madrid (project CCG10-UPM/MAT-5569) and the Cátedra Repsol-UPM. J. Arranz-Andrés is grateful to the CSIC JAE-Doc Program for his financial support.
The degradation of polycarbonate during the melt-compounding with three montmorillonites, with different organic modifications, has been studied using different spectroscopic techniques, thermogravimetric analysis and dilute solution viscosimetry. The selected clays were two montmorillonites modified in the laboratory, with a bisphenol-A containing silane and a polyethylenimine, respectively, and a commercial montmorillonite, Cloisite™ 15A. The results indicate that the three clays catalyze the hydrolytic degradation of polycarbonate, which explains the great reduction in the average molar mass of PC, observed by viscosimetry, as well as the appearance of phenolic compounds, observed in the UV spectra and in the fluorescence emission. There is a strong correlation between the normalized absorption at 287 nm, assigned to the phenolic units, and the reduction in the average molar mass. The degradation catalyzed by the clays explains also the appearance in some nanocomposites of a weight loss step at low temperatures, observed in the thermogravimetric analysis. The fluorescence spectroscopy has been found to provide useful information about the clay-induced degradation of PC.
All the experimental techniques indicate that the commercial clay used as a reference causes a most severe degradation than the clays modified in the laboratory. This result has been explained taking into account that, on one hand, the organic modification of the commercial clay suffers the Hoffmann degradation during the melt compounding of the PC nanocomposites, thus generating acidic sites on the silicate layers which catalyze the hydrolytic degradation of the polymer. On the other hand, the commercial clay gives a better exfoliation than the laboratory ones, and the close contact with the polymer is necessary for the clay action on the degradation. Moreover, the TEM analysis reveals that the two clays modified in the laboratory appear in the composite surrounded by dark impurities, tentatively explained as degraded rests of the chemical modifications of the clays, which hinder the close contact with the polymer.
The degradation of polycarbonate also depends on the amount of clay and the processing temperature. However, the apparent water content of the clay does not appear to play a significant role in this case.
The obtained results indicate that the degradation of PC during the melt processing of the clay-reinforced nanocomposites may be characterized using fluorescence emission and UV absorption spectroscopic techniques. The clays modified by us in the laboratory cause substantially less degradation of the polymer than the commercial clay used as a reference.
Acknowledgments
The valuable aid of Juan Luis Baldonedo, of the Centro Nacional de Microscopía Electrónica (ICTS-CNME), for obtaining the TEM images is gratefully acknowledged. The authors acknowledge also the financial support of the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) (project MAT2010-19883), the Comunidad de Madrid (project CCG10-UPM/MAT-5569) and the Cátedra Repsol-UPM. J. Arranz-Andrés is grateful to the CSIC JAE-Doc Program for his financial support.
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