Poly(ethylene-oxide)/clay/silica nanocomposites: Morphology and thermomechanical properties

Poly(ethylene-oxide) PEO/clay/silica nanocomposites were prepared via solution intercalation by exploiting phase separation based on the bridging of particles by polymer chains. The intercalated morphology of nanocomposites was confirmed by XRD. Vibrational modes of the ether oxygen of PEO in the hybrids are shifted due to the coordination of the ether oxygen with the sodium cations of clay and the H-bonding interactions of the ether oxygen with...