A Ebrahimi - Department of Chemical Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman
A Sarrafi - Department of Chemical Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman,
M Tahmooresi - International Center of Science, High Technology and Environmental Science, Kerman

Nanoclay is one of the best fillers used for producing polymer Nanocomposites. It is produced from purified Montmorillonite which is usually found in nature with impurities such as Kaolinite, Illite, Quartz, Calcite, Cristobalite, Hematite and Feldspar. In industrial production, separation of these minerals from Montmorillonite is the first step of producing polymer Nanocomposites. Montmorillonite is purified utilizing its fine particle size compared with other impurities, for producing polymer nanocomposite its hydrophilic nature should be changed to hydrophobic by surface modification by hydrophobe molecules such as alkyl ammonium salts. In this paper a raw sample of Montmorillonite is prepared from the relevant Bentonite mine. It was purified and surface modified to produce a high quality Nanoclay for production polymer Nanocomposites. The results show satisfactory properties for produced Nanoclay in comparison with Cloisite samples.

Nanocomposite, Nanoclay, Montmorillonite, Purification, Surface modified