Rheological, Morphological, and Crystallization Behavior of Nylon-6 Nanocomposites Reinforced with Modified and Unmodified Silica

Savita Meena

Abstract: Nanoscale silica and 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS)-modified silica were incorporated into the Nylon-6 matrix through melt compounding to evaluate their influence on morphology, crystallization behavior, and rheological properties. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis revealed that Nylon-6/APTMS-modified silica composites (NS1 1 wt% and NS4 4 wt% APTMS-treated silica) retained the ?-phase peaks of Nylon-6 with reduced intensity and peak broadening after silica incorporation, indicating disrupted chain packing and reduced crystallinity from 45% (Nylon-6) to 38% (NS1) and 32% (NS4) due to restricted polymer chain mobility. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed partial agglomeration of silica particles within the Nylon-6 matrix. Rheological studies showed an increase in equilibrium torque during melt processing, indicating stronger interfacial interactions in composites containing APTMS-modified silica compared to those with unmodified silica. modified composites, NS4 (4 wt% APTMS-modified silica) exhibited the lowest shear viscosity across the studied shear rate range, showing lower viscosity than pure Nylon-6 at both 100 s^-1 (65 Pa?s vs. 72 Pa?s) and 1800 s^-1 (47 Pa?s vs. 50 Pa?s). The results demonstrate that APTMS surface modification significantly enhances the structural and functional properties of Nylon-6/silica composites.

Keywords: Nylon-6, Nanocomposites, Rheological behavior, TEM, WAXD

How to Cite?: Savita Meena, "Rheological, Morphological, and Crystallization Behavior of Nylon-6 Nanocomposites Reinforced with Modified and Unmodified Silica", Volume 13 Issue 4, April 2024, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 2021-2025, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR24415164258, DOI: https://dx.dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR24415164258

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