Technical Relevance of Epoxy/Clay Nanocomposite with Organically Modified Montmorillonite: A Review

This review covers almost all known categories of compounds used for nanoclay surface modification with special emphasis on organic modification of layered silicate montmorillonite. Commonly used organic modifiers include quaternary ammonium ions, quaternary phosphonium ions, and amino acids. Dispersion of organomodified nanoclays in epoxy is particularly focused upon in this article. Epoxy-based materials are used as convenient matrices for montmorillonite dispersion since years due to superior properties of resulting polymeric nanocomposites, such as mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, flammability, and thermal stability. Owing to their high performance epoxy nanocomposites have endless applications in aerospace, automotives, construction, electrical, adhesives, and coating industries.