Tshwafo E Motaung, Mokgaotsa J Mochane, Zikhona L Linganiso and Ayanda P Mashigo
Polymeric Nano composite has been strongly studied due to the improvement achieved when a little amount of Nano sized particles are added to the polymer matrix. This is primarily due to large surface area which increased the interaction between the nanoparticles and the polymer. There are different routes for preparation of the polymer Nano composite with Nano fillers it can be melt compound, in-situ polymerization and the solvent method. The in-situ method was found to be best method due to that the nanoparticle is introduced directly to the monomer and it allowed for few minutes to disperse well to the monomer before the initiator is added to start polymerization. The in-situ method gives control over the particle size and morphology. The present studies investigate the surface morphology and thermal properties of nylon when the cellulose Nano-whiskers of different content was added into nylon monomer. SEM for surface studies, TGA for thermal stabilities and FTIR for chemical properties were studied. TGA results reveal that nylon thermal properties changes with addition of Nano crystals compared to pure nylon.