Gas barrier and mechanical properties of crosslinked ethylene vinyl acetate nanocomposites

In this research, the effects of crosslinking agent and clay content on the morphology, barrier and mechanical properties of ethylene vinyl acetate-organoclay nanocomposites prepared by solution method were studied. Dicumyl peroxide has been used as crosslinking agent. The morphology of the prepared nanocomposites was investigated using wide-angle X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopyindicated that the prepared nanocomposites had predominantly intercalated morphologies. The obtained results of permeability tests showed that the permeability of ethylene vinyl acetate films dramatically decreases with addition of organoclay and dicumyl peroxide. Mechanical tests showed that tensile modulus and tensile strength of ethylene vinyl acetate increase with addition of organoclay. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of ethylene vinyl acetate nanocomposites significantly improved in presence of crosslinking agent (dicumyl peroxide).