Investigation on microstructure and dielectric properties of polyethylene/montmorillonite nano-composites

The polyethylene/montmorillonite nano-composites are prepared by melting intercalation process. The morphology and dielectric properties of the nano-composites are investigated by means of X-ray Diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and dielectric analyzer etc. The results indicated that polyethylene can be intercalated in organically modified montmorillonite and exfoliated nano-composites be formed. In dielectric properties, the nano-composites are obviously different from pure polyethylene. The dependences of dielectric loss factor (tan δ) on temperature and frequency of the nano-composites are characteristic of dielectric relaxation while electrical conductivity of the nano-composites decrease at higher temperature.