Evaluation of the Nanoparticle Dispersion and the Thermal Behaviors of Polyamide-6/Silica Composites

Abstract

Polyamide-6 (PA6)/silica (SiO2) composites with different sizes and concentrations of SiO2 nanoparticles were prepared viain situanionic ring opening polymerization. An electron probe microanalyzer was used for visual examination to analyze the distribution of SiO2 nanoparticles in PA6/SiO2 composites. In addition, the thermal behavior of PA6/SiO2 composites was evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. As a result, the SiO2 nanoparticles were found to be well dispersed in the epsilon-caprolactam monomer with a watery viscosity. The sizes and the concentrations of the nanoparticles could affect both the polymerization and the crystallization behaviors of the composites.