Nylon 6/clay nanocomposite filaments and their cords

The present study focuses on the preparation and characterization of nylon 6/clay nanocomposite filaments and their cords. Two different organo modified clays: the ditallodimethyl ammonium salt with bentonite clay (Claytone HY), a commercially available clay from M/S Southern Clay products, USA and silane modified montmorillonite clay (Silane‐MMT), synthesized in the laboratory were used to prepare nylon 6/clay nanocomposite filaments. The nanocomposite filaments were tested for tensile and creep properties and compared with nylon 6/sodium montmorillonite (Na‐MMT) nanocomposite filaments as well as neat nylon 6 filaments. The clay dispersion within the nanocomposite filaments was analyzed by using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The creep resistant property of all the nanocomposite filaments showed 10–19% improvement over the neat nylon filament. However, there is a marginal improvement in tenacity in case of nylon 6/silane MMT nanocomposite filament as compared to the neat nylon filament. All the nylon 6/clay nanocomposite filaments were converted into the cords and tested for various tire cord related properties such as tensile strength, rubber to cord adhesion, and fatigue resistance. The nanocomposite cords showed a significant improvement in tensile property (7–21%) as well as cord to rubber adhesion strength (34–55%) over the neat nylon cords, however, the fatigue resistance was inferior in case of nanocomposite cords. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012