Phase transition in nylon 6/clay nanocomposites on annealing

The γ→α crystalline phase transition in nylon 6/clay nanocomposite prior to melting was investigated by X-ray diffraction. The phase transition in the nanocomposite took place at 160 °C, 40 °C higher than that of nylon 6 at 120 °C. The transition extent in the nanocomposite was lower than that in nylon 6. This could be caused by the strongly confined spaces between layers, and the favorable environment for the formation of the γ phase in the existence of clay. Besides, the less grown crystallites of the α phase transformed from the γ phase in the nanocomposite began to melt at much lower temperature than its normal melting temperature.