Abstract Palygorskite (Pal) nanorods have attracted more and more interests in polymer-based nanocomposites. Surface modification with silane is the main approach to improve their dispersibility in organic matrices. In the present work, the functionalization of Pal nanorods with silane was optimized in detail, aiming to the high dispersibility in organic matrices, including the reaction condition (temperature and time) and feeding ratio of silane (e.g. γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane, MPS). The morphology of the products was analyzed with TEM technique. Based on the characterization results and the sedimentation phenomena of their dispersions in toluene, the microstructure of the organo-functionalized palygorskite (OPAL) was established, in which locking effect and welding effect of silane were proposed.

中文翻译：

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γ-巯基丙基三甲氧基硅烷对坡缕石纳米棒的表面有机功能化

摘要 坡缕石（Pal）纳米棒在聚合物基纳米复合材料中引起了越来越多的兴趣。用硅烷进行表面改性是提高其在有机基质中的分散性的主要方法。在目前的工作中，详细优化了用硅烷对 Pal 纳米棒的功能化，旨在实现在有机基质中的高分散性，包括反应条件（温度和时间）和硅烷（例如 γ-巯基丙基三甲氧基硅烷，MPS）的进料比。用TEM技术分析产物的形貌。基于表征结果和它们在甲苯中的分散体的沉降现象，建立了有机功能化坡缕石（OPAL）的微观结构，其中提出了硅烷的锁定效应和焊接效应。