Non-isothermal crystallization study of in-situ exfoliated graphite filled nylon 6 composites

Nylon 6/exfoliated graphite composites were prepared by low temperature expandable graphite (LTEG) filling nylon 6 via an in-situ exfoliation process during melt blending. DSC and XRD were applied to investigate the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics and crystalline behavior of nylon 6/LTEG composites. The DSC results showed that the LTEG platelets function as a nucleating agent in the crystallization process of nylon 6 and a small amount of LTEG can accelerate the crystallization rate, but too high concentration of LTEG may hinder diffusion of the polymer chains to the crystallite and hinder the growth of crystallites. These results are similar to those previously reported data for nylon 6/functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube and nylon 6/clay composites system. XRD and DSC results indicated that the addition of LTEG favored the formation of the thermodynamically stable crystalline structure, compared with that of pure nylon 6 matrix.