The increased separation and the chemical modification make it easier for the polymer to enter between the platelet layers. In principle, there is no reason that nanocomposites cannot be made from any resins, including thermoplastics and thermosets, said Andres Garcia-Rejon, a senior scientist responsible for polymer nanocomposite research at the National Research Council Canada's Industrial Materials Institute. In reality, some resin groups can be made into nano-composites more easily than others. Nylons, Hunter said, are relatively easy to make into nanocomposites. On the other hand, it's more difficult to disperse the clay in polyolefins.
Some approaches combine the two methods.
Another technique is to create a solvent dispersion and then strip off the solvent during the melt blending process, Hunter said. He sees a need to study chemical treatments that aid dispersion of the clay in the polymer and the way materials are processed in the extruder, which can also affect the success of achieving dispersion. Peter Maul, president of Nanocor, said that another focus of research is combining nanoclays with conventional fillers, such as glass. Southern Clay's 10 percent organoclay nylon 6 blend has an edge-on view of clay platelets. Shadowing may be the buried lateral portion of the platelets.