Synthesis and properties of melamine-formaldehyde/ montmorillonite nanocomposites

In this paper, intercalated and partially exfoliated melamine-formaldehyde (MF)/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposites have been synthesized successfully via in-situ polymerization based on pristine montmorillonite, acidified montmorillonite and organic modified montmorillonite respectively. The obtained nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, TEM, TGA, and Raman spectroscopy. Free formaldehyde content of those composites was also determined by acetyl acetone technique. It was found that acidified montmorillonite and organic modified montmorillonite could catalyze the polycondensation reaction of methylolmelamines. The thermal stability and chemical resistance of those two nanocomposites were also improved dramatically compared to pure melamine-formaldehyde resin.