Nanocomposite: a method for the manufacture of nanocomposites based on a highly concentrated, intercalated, pelletized product has been developed that will reduce costs and improve properties.

Polymer-clay nanocomposites promise a veritable explosion of thermoplastic polymer applications because they are lightweight materials that rival metals in stiffness and strength while providing enhanced gas-barrier characteristics, superior dimensional stability, and high heat-distortion temperatures--all with low mineral loading and virtually no loss in impact resistance (Fig. 1). However, the material has a significant drawback: the high cost and difficulty of dispersing nanometer-scale smectite clay particles in plastic matrices. This has delayed the onset of a materials ...