The introduction of organophilic layered silicates into a polyamide matrix significantly improves stiffness and strength [1,2]. Two methods are known to prepare such nanocomposites. For both methods cations such as sodium, potassium, magnesium or calcium, located in the interlayer galleries of the layered silicates must be exchanged by quaternary alkyl ammonium ions containing at least one alkyl chain and so rendering the originally hydrophilic into an organophilic silicate. in the insitu-method monomeric caprolactam is intercalated between the modified silicate interlayers and subsequently polycondensated to polyamide. By this method the silicates can be broken down into their nanoscale building blocks as can be shown by TEM and ESI (Fig. 1). Another more direct possibility to delaminate the silicates is melt mixing in an extruder. with both methods similar degrees of delamination can be achieved.

This paper presents some of our morphological results on polyamide containing organically modified montmorillonite.