Polyethylene glycol/clay nanotubes composites. Thermal properties and structure

Nanocomposites of poly(ethylene) glycol (PEG) 20000 filled with clay nanotubes (HNTs) were prepared. The thermal properties obtained from thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry were correlated to the morphology imaged by scanning electron microscopy. Low amounts of HNTs generate compact structure while large amounts of HNTs create craters and voids. The decrease of polymer degradation temperature in the presence of large amount of nanoclay (ca. 80 wt%) is a consequence of the morphology at the mesoscale range. The thermal opposite effect observed in the HNTs low regime (up to ca. 20 wt%) is due to the gas entrapment into the nanoparticles lumen. The quantitative analysis of the PEG 20000 enthalpy of melting in the presence of HNTs allowed us to characterize the polymer adsorption onto the nanoclay surface.