Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 February 2011
Several nylon nanocomposites was prepared using pristine and organically modified silicates. DSC and XRD reveal that the metastable γ phase is stabilized in the nanocomposites and the amount of γ phase scales with the silicate loading. Both storage and loss moduli of the nanocomposites increase with increasing silicate content. The overall characteristics of these systems become more solid-like before the onset of the glass transition. The increases in moduli are most pronounced in the rubbery regime. Pristine silicates have marginal effect on the mechanical response due to poor dispersion and/or lack of interactions with the polymer matrix.