Mechanical Properties of HNT/PA6 Nanocomposites: The Effects of HNTs Loadings and Surface Activation

HNT/PA6 nanocomposites were prepared through a melt mixing method and the effect of various loadings of pristine and surface activated HNTs on the mechanical properties were investigated. The nanocomposites and surface activated HNTs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and tensile tests. The XRD results suggest that the crystal structure of HNTs retain on its original structure after surface modification. The results show that the pristine HNTs can successfully be surface activated by a proper method for nanocomposite applications. Mechanical properties measurements show an increase in tensile modulus of nanocomposites with respect to HNT loading without any reductions of the tensile strength and elongation at breaks. The mechanical properties measurements show more obvious effect of surface activated HNTs compared to pristine HNTs