It is difficult, however, to draw definitive conclusions on the
microstructure of the nanocomposites from XRD patterns exhibiting
diffraction patterns, as the relatively featureless diffraction pattern
of the exfoliated structure may have been covered up by the
diffraction peak of the intercalated structure (Vaia, Jandt, Kramer,
& Giannelis, 1996). Therefore optical microscopy (OM) is necessary