Correlation of morphology, rheology, and performance improvement in gasoline tubes based on PA‐6 nanocomposites

PA‐6/organo‐modified layered silicate nanocompounds were prepared by the melt mixing of PA‐6 with different nanoclay loadings in a corotating twin‐screw extruder. Gasoline tubes based on these nanocompounds were produced at different silicate loadings. Thermal, mechanical, rheological, and barrier properties of the different samples were investigated and correlated to their morphology. Transmission electron microscopy, wide angle X‐ray scattering, and linear melt state viscoelastic measurements were used to characterize the different aspects of nanoclay dispersion in the nanocomposite samples. While tensile modulus, softening point, heat distortion temperature, and gasoline barrier properties of the prepared tubes were improved considerably by increasing the clay content, performance improvement with respect to clay content (after a certain value) decreased with increasing clay loading. It could be attributed to the re‐agglomeration of tactoids at higher concentrations. These findings were correlated with the rheological and morphological observations. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2010.