Poly(3-hexadecylthiophene)/montmorillonite clay nanocomposites: Influence of preparation and type of clay on their structures

A nanocomposite of poly(3-hexadecylthiophene) (PHDT) with montmorillonite (MMT) was prepared by in situ polymerization (PHDT/MMT) and nanocomposites of PHDT with organomontmorillonite clay (OrgMMT) were prepared by both in situ polymerization (PHDT/OrgMMT) and by the solvent casting method (PHDT/OrgMMT-sc). The nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). PHDT/OrgMMT was also characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). FTIR spectra indicate the presence of the clay in the polymer matrices and show variations on the frequency of the Si–O–Si stretching vibration. The XRD diffractograms indicate that PHDT/MMT and PHDT/OrgMMT-sc are intercalated nanocomposites, while PHDT/OrgMMT is mostly exfoliated, but present also some intercalation, as confirmed by TEM.