Mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of glass fiber and carbon fiber reinforced polyamide-6 and polyamide-6/clay nanocomposites

Carbon fiber and glass fiber reinforced polyamide-6 and polyamide-6/clay nanocomposites were prepared. Results show that the mechanical and thermal properties of the polyamide-6/clay nanocomposites are superior to those of polyamide-6 composite in terms of the heat distortion temperature, tensile and flexural strength and modulus without sacrificing their impact strength. This may be due to the nanoscale effects, and the strong interaction force existed between the polyamide-6 matrix and the clay interface. The mechanical properties of neat polyamide-6/clay nanocomposites are better than those of 10 wt.% glass fiber or carbon fiber reinforced polyamide-6. The effect of nanoscale clay on toughness is more significant than that of the fiber. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.