Bio-inspired Hydroxyapatite/Gelatin Transparent Nanocomposites

Hydroxyapatite(HA)nanoparticles impart outstanding mechanical properties to organicinorganic nanocomposites in bone.Inspired by the composite structure of HA nanoparticles and collagen in bone,a high performance HA/gelatin nanocomposite was first developed.The nanocomposites have much better mechanical properties(elongation at break 29.9%,tensile strength 90.7 MPa,Young’s modulus 5.24 GPa)than pure gelatin films(elongation at break 9.3%,tensile strength 90.8 MPa,Young’s modulus 2.5 GPa).In addition,the composite films keep a high transmittance in visible wavelength range from 0%to 60%of the HA solid content.These differences in properties are attributed to the homogeneous distribution of HA nanoparticles in the gelatin polymer matrix and the strong interaction between the particle surfaces and the gelatin molecules.This protocol should be promising for HA-based nanocomposites with enhanced mechanical properties for biomedical applications.

Increasing the toughness while reducing the viscosity of carbon nanotube/ polyether imide/polyether ether ketone nanocomposites

Polyether ether ketone(PEEK)has good mechanical properties.However,its high viscosity when molten limits its use because it is hard to process.PEEK nanocomposites containing both carbon nanotubes(CNTs)and polyether imide(PEI)were pre-pared by a direct wet powder blending method using a vertical injection molding machine.The addition of an optimum amount of PEI lowered the viscosity of the molten PEEK by approximately 50%while producing an increase in the toughness of the nanocom-posites,whose strain to failure increased by 129%,and fracture energy increased by 97%.The uniformly dispersed CNT/PEI powder reduced the processing difficulty of PEEK nanocomposites without affecting the thermal resistance.This improvement of the strength and viscosity of PEEK facilitate its use in the preparation of thermoplastic composites.

Assembly of functional carboxymethyl cellulose/polyethylene oxide/anatase TiO_(2) nanocomposites and tuning the dielectric relaxation, optical, and photoluminescence performances

Nanocomposite films consisting of carboxymethyl cellulose,polyethylene oxide(CMC/PEO),and anatase titanium diox-ide(TO)were produced by the use of sol-gel and solution casting techniques.TiO2 nanocrystals were effectively incorporated into CMC/PEO polymers,as shown by X-ray diffraction(XRD)and attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared(ATR-FTIR)analysis.The roughness growth is at high levels of TO nanocrystals(TO NCs),which means increasing active sites and defects in CMC/PEO.In differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)thermograms,the change in glass transition temperature(Tg)val-ues verifies that the polymer blend interacts with TO NCs.The increment proportions of TO NCs have a notable impact on the dielectric performances of the nanocomposites,as observed.The electrical properties of the CMC/PEO/TO nanocomposite undergo significant changes.The nanocomposite films exhibit a red alteration in the absorption edge as the concentration of TO NCs increases in the polymer blend.The decline in the energy gap is readily apparent as the weight percentage of TO NCs increases.The photoluminescence(PL)emission spectra indicate that the sites of the luminescence peak maximums show slight variation;peaks get wider,while their intensities decrease dramatically as the concentration of TO increases.These nanocomposite materials show potential for multifunctional applications including optoelectronics,antireflection coatings,pho-tocatalysis,light emitting diodes,and solid polymer electrolytes.

Photocatalytic ozonation-based degradation of phenol by ZnO—TiO_(2)nanocomposites in spinning disk reactor

Spinning disk reactor(SDR)has emerged as a novel process intensification photocatalytic reactor,and it has higher mass transfer efficiency and photon utilization for the degradation of toxic organic pollutants by advanced oxidation processes(AOPs).In this study,ZnO—TiO_(2)nanocomposites were prepared by solgel method,and coated on the disk of SDR by impregnation-pull-drying-calcination method.The performance of catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscope,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,photoluminescence and ultraviolet—visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.Photocatalytic ozonation in SDR was used to remove phenol,and various factors on degradation effect were studied in detail.The results showed that the rate of degradation and mineralization reached 100%and 83.4%under UV light irradiation after 50 min,compared with photocatalysis and ozonation,the removal rate increased by 69.3%and 34.7%,and mineralization rate increased by 56.7%and 62.9%,which indicated that the coupling of photocatalysis and ozonation had a synergistic effect.The radical capture experiments demonstrated that the active species such as photogenerated holes(h^(+)),hydroxyl radicals(·OH),superoxide radical(·O_(2)-)were responsible for phenol degradation,and·OH played a leading role in the degradation process,while h+and·O_(2)^(-)played a non-leading role.

Phase field model for electric-thermal coupled discharge breakdown of polyimide nanocomposites under high frequency electrical stress

In contrast to conventional transformers, power electronic transformers, as an integral component of new energy power system, are often subjected to high-frequency and transient electrical stresses, leading to heightened concerns regarding insulation failures. Meanwhile, the underlying mechanism behind discharge breakdown failure and nanofiller enhancement under high-frequency electrical stress remains unclear. An electric-thermal coupled discharge breakdown phase field model was constructed to study the evolution of the breakdown path in polyimide nanocomposite insulation subjected to high-frequency stress. The investigation focused on analyzing the effect of various factors, including frequency, temperature, and nanofiller shape, on the breakdown path of Polyimide(PI) composites. Additionally, it elucidated the enhancement mechanism of nano-modified composite insulation at the mesoscopic scale. The results indicated that with increasing frequency and temperature, the discharge breakdown path demonstrates accelerated development, accompanied by a gradual dominance of Joule heat energy. This enhancement is attributed to the dispersed electric field distribution and the hindering effect of the nanosheets. The research findings offer a theoretical foundation and methodological framework to inform the optimal design and performance management of new insulating materials utilized in high-frequency power equipment.

Removal of Dye Using Lignin-Based Biochar/Poly(ester amide urethane)Nanocomposites from Contaminated Wastewater

The pursuit of incorporating eco-friendly reinforcing agents in polymer composites has accentuated the exploration of various natural biomass-derived materials.The burgeoning environmental crisis spurred by the discharge of synthetic dyes into wastewater has catalyzed the search for effective and sustainable treatment technologies.Among the various sorbent materials explored,biochar,being renewable,has gained prominence due to its excellent adsorption properties and environmental sustainability.It has also emerged as a focal point for its potential to replace other conventional reinforcing agents,viz.,fumed silica,aluminum oxide,treated clays,etc.This study introduces a novel class of polymer nanocomposites comprising of lignin-based biochar particles and poly(ester amide urethane)matrix via a feasible method.The structural evaluation of these nanocomposites was accomplished using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,and powder X-ray diffraction.The polymer nanocomposites exhibited superior mechanical properties with an increment in tensile strength factor by 45%in comparison to its pristine matrix,along with an excellent toughness value of 90.22 MJm^(−3)at a low loading amount of only 1 wt%.The composites showed excellent improvement in thermal properties with a sharp rise in the glass transition temperature(Tg)value from−28.15℃to 84℃,while also championing sustainability through inherent biodegradability attributes.Beyond their structural prowess,these polymer nanocomposites demonstrated excellent potential as adsorbents,displaying efficient removal of malachite green and tartrazine dyes from aqueous systems with a removal efficiency of 87.25%and 73.98%,respectively.The kinetics study revealed the pseudo second order model to be the precision tool to assess the dye removal study.Complementing this,the Langmuir adsorption isotherm provided a framework to assess the sorption features of the polymer nanocomposites.Overall,these renewable biochar integrated polymer matrices boast remarkable recovery capabilities up to seven cycles of usage with an excellent dye recovery percentage of 95.21%for the last cycle,thereby defining sustainability as well as economic feasibility.

Efficacy of graphene nanocomposites for air disinfection in dental clinics: A randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND Aerosols containing disease-causing microorganisms are produced during oral diagnosis and treatment can cause secondary contamination.AIM To investigate the use of graphene material for air disinfection in dental clinics by leveraging its adsorption and antibacterial properties.METHODS Patients who received ultrasonic cleaning at our hospital from April 2023 to April 2024.They were randomly assigned to three groups(n=20 each):Graphene nanocomposite material suction group(Group A),ordinary filter suction group(Group B),and no air suction device group(Group C).The air quality and air colony count in the clinic rooms were assessed before,during,and after the procedure.Additionally,bacterial colony counts were obtained from the air outlets of the suction devices and the filter screens in Groups A and B.RESULTS Before ultrasonic cleaning,no significant differences in air quality PM2.5 and colony counts were observed among the three groups.However,significant differences in air quality PM2.5 and colony counts were noted among the three groups during ultrasonic cleaning and after ultrasonic treatment.Additionally,the number of colonies on the exhaust port of the suction device and the surface of the filter were significantly lower in Group A than in Group B(P=0.000 and P=0.000,respectively).CONCLUSION Graphene nanocomposites can effectively sterilize the air in dental clinics by exerting their antimicrobial effects and may be used to reduce secondary pollution.

Mechanism for thermite reactions of aluminum/iron-oxide nanocomposites based on residue analysis

Sol-gel method was employed to combine Al and iron-oxide to form nanocomposites （nano-Al/xero-Fe2O3 and micro-Al/xero-Fe2O3）. SEM, EDS and XRD analyses were used to characterize the nanocomposites and the results indicated that nano-Al and micro-Al were compactly wrapped by amorphous iron-oxide nanoparticles （about 20 nm）, respectively. The iron-oxide showed the mass ratio of Fe to O as similar as that in Fe2O3. Thermal analyses were performed on two nanocomposites, and four simple mixtures （nano-Al＋xero-Fe2O3, nano-Al＋micro-Fe2O3, micro-Al＋xero-Fe2O3, and micro-Al＋micro-Fe2O3） were also analyzed. There were not apparent distinctions in the reactions of thermites fueled by nano-Al. For thermites fueled by micro-Al, the DSC peak temperatures of micro-Al/Xero-Fe2O3 were advanced by 68.1 ℃ and 76.8 ℃ compared with micro-Al＋xero-Fe2O3 and micro-Al＋micro-Fe2O3, respectively. Four thermites, namely, nano-Al/xero-Fe2O3, nano-Al＋micro-Fe2O3, micro-Al/xero-Fe2O3, and micro-Al＋micro-Fe2O3, were heated from ambient temperature to 1020 ℃, during which the products at 660 ℃ and 1020 ℃ were collected and analyzed by XRD. Crystals of Fe, FeAl2O4, Fe3O4,α-Fe2O3, Al,γ-Fe2O3, Al2.667O4, FeO andα-Al2O3 were indexed in XRD patterns. For each thermite, according to the specific products, the possible equations were given. Based on the principle of the minimum free energy, the most reasonable equations were inferred from the possible reactions.

Structural and mechanical properties of CuZr/AlN nanocomposites

Powder metallurgy method was used to prepare copper alloy nanocomposites （CuZr/AlN） with high strength and conductivity. Optical microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and other methods were adopted to study the impact of different sintering technologies on the structural and mechanical properties as well as the impact of solution and aging treatments on the mechanical properties of CuZr/AlN. The result shows that the specimen has a dense structure, and the size of the crystal grain is around 0.2 μm. The Brinell hardness of the specimen increases with the increase in re-pressing pressure and sintering temperature. The Brinell hardness of specimen also increases with the increase in zirconium content. However, above 0.5%（mass fraction） of zirconium content, the Brinell hardness of the nanocomposites is reduced. The buckling strength of the specimens increases with the increase in re-pressing pressure and sintering temperature. The buckling strength is the highest when the zirconium content is 0.5%. The Brinell hardness is lower after solution and aging treatments at 900 ℃. The Brinell hardness of the CuZr/AlN series specimen after the aging treatment at 500 ℃ or 600 ℃ increases. The specimen was also over aged at 700 ℃.

Preparation and shape memory properties of TiO_2/PLCL biodegradable polymer nanocomposites

The preparation of TiO2/poly（L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone）（PLCL） nanocomposites and their properties were reported.TiO2nanoparticles were surface modified by ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone（ε-CL）.The resulting poly（ε-caprolactone）-grafted TiO2（g-TiO2） was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）,thermogravimetric analysis（TGA） and transmission electron microscopy（TEM）.The g-TiO2can be uniformly dispersed in chloroform and the g-TiO2/PLCL nanocomposites were successfully fabricated through solvent-casting method.The effects of the content of g-TiO2nanoparticles on tensile properties and shape memory properties were investigated.A significant improvement in the tensile properties of the 5% g-TiO2/PLCL mass fraction nanocomposite is obtained：an increase of 113% in the tensile strength and an increase of 11% in the elongation at break over pure PLCL polymer.The g-TiO2/PLCL nanocomposites with a certain amount of g-TiO2content have better shape memory properties than pure PLCL polymer.The g-TiO2nanoparticles play an additional physical crosslinks which are contributed to improvement of the shape memory properties.

Preparation of three-dimensional interconnected mesoporous anatase TiO_2-SiO_2 nanocomposites with high photocatalytic activities

In this article, we report the preparation of a three-dimensional（3D） interconnected mesoporous anatase TiO2-SiO2 nanocomposite. The nanocomposite was obtained by using an ordered two-dimensional（2D） hexagonal mesoporous anatase 70 TiO2-30 SiO2-950 nanocomposite（crystallized at 950 °C for 2 h） as a precursor, NaO H as an etchant of SiO2 via a ＂creating mesopores in the pore walls＂ approach. Our strategy adopts mild conditions of creating pores such as diluted NaO H solution, appropriate temperature and solid/liquid ratio, etc. aiming at ensuring the integrities of mesopores architecture and anatase nanocrystals. XRD, TEM and N2 sorption techniques have been used to systematically investigate the physico-chemical properties of the nanocomposites. The results show that the intrawall mesopores are highly dense and uniform（average pore size 3.6 nm）, and highly link the initial mesochannels in a 3D manner while retaining mesostructural integrity. There is no significant change to either crystallinity or size of the anatase nanocrystals before and after creating the intrawall mesopores. The photocatalytic degradation rates of rhodamine B（RhB, 0.303 min^–1） and methylene blue（MB, 0.757 min^–1） dyes on the resultant nanocomposite are very high, which are 5.1 and 5.3 times that of the precursor; even up to 16.5 and 24.1 times that of Degussa P25 photocatalyst, respectively. These results clearly demonstrate that the 3D interconnected mesopores structure plays an overwhelming role to the increments of activities. The 3D mesoporous anatase TiO2-SiO2 nanocomposite exhibits unexpected-high degradation activities to RhB and MB in the mesoporous metal oxide-based materials reported so far. Additionally, the nanocomposite is considerably stable and reusable. We believe that this method would pave the way for the preparation of other 3D highly interconnected mesoporous metal oxide-based materials with ultra-high performance.

Synthesis, properties, and applications of graphene oxide/reduced graphene oxide and their nanocomposites

Thanks to their remarkable mechanical, electrical, thermal, and barrier properties, graphene-based nanocomposites have been a hot area of research in the past decade. Because of their simple top-down synthesis, graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have opened new possibilities for gas barrier, membrane separation, and stimuli-response characteristics in nanocomposites. Herein, we review the synthesis techniques most commonly used to produce these graphene derivatives, discuss how synthesis affects their key material properties, and highlight some examples of nanocomposites with unique and impressive properties. We specifically highlight their performances in separation applications, stimuli-responsive materials, anti-corrosion coatings, and energy storage. Finally, we discuss the outlook and remaining challenges in the field of practical industrial-scale production and use of graphene-derivative-based polymer nanocomposites.

Flexible Tactile Electronic Skin Sensor with 3D Force Detection Based on Porous CNTs/PDMS Nanocomposites

Flexible tactile sensors have broad applications in human physiological monitoring,robotic operation and human-machine interaction.However,the research of wearable and flexible tactile sensors with high sensitivity,wide sensing range and ability to detect three-dimensional(3D)force is still very challenging.Herein,a flexible tactile electronic skin sensor based on carbon nanotubes(CNTs)/polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)nanocomposites is presented for 3D contact force detection.The 3D forces were acquired from combination of four specially designed cells in a sensing element.Contributed from the double-sided rough porous structure and specific surface morphology of nanocomposites,the piezoresistive sensor possesses high sensitivity of 12.1 kPa?1 within the range of 600 Pa and 0.68 kPa?1 in the regime exceeding 1 kPa for normal pressure,as well as 59.9 N?1 in the scope of<0.05 N and>2.3 N?1 in the region of<0.6 N for tangential force with ultra-low response time of 3.1 ms.In addition,multi-functional detection in human body monitoring was employed with single sensing cell and the sensor array was integrated into a robotic arm for objects grasping control,indicating the capacities in intelligent robot applications.

Sandwich-Like Fe&TiO2@C Nanocomposites Derived from MXene/Fe-MOFs Hybrids for Electromagnetic Absorption

Electromagnetic pollution has been causing a series of problems in people’s life,and electromagnetic absorbers with lightweight and broad absorbing bandwidth properties are widely desired.In this work,novel sandwich-like 2D laminated Fe&TiO2 nanoparticles@C nanocomposites were rationally designed and successfully developed from the MXene–MOFs hybrids.The formation of Fe and rutile-TiO2 nanoparticles sandwiched by the two-dimensional carbon nanosheets provided strong electromagnetic energy attenuation and good impedance matching for electromagnetic wave(EMW)absorption.As expected,the nanocomposites achieved a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 6.5 GHz at a thickness of only 1.6 mm and the minimum reflection loss(RL)value of−51.8 dB at 6.6 GHz with a thickness of 3 mm.This work not only provides a good design and fabricating concept for the laminated metal and functional nanoparticles@C nanocomposites with good EMW absorption,but also offers an important guideline to fabricate various two-dimensional nanocomposites derived from the MXene precursors.

Study on Preparation and Properties of La_2O_3/MC Nylon Nanocomposites

A series of La2O3/MC nylon nanocomposites were prepared via in situ polymerization. The effects of content of nano-La2O3 on the mechanical properties of nanocomposites were studied. Dispersion of nano-La2O3 in MC nylon matrix was observed with SEM. The crystal structure of nanocomposites was characterized by means of XRD. SEM analysis shows that La2O3 nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed in MC nylon matrix and little clustering exists when the content of nano- La2O3 is lower than 1%, however, when the content of nano-La2O3 is more than 1%, it begins to cluster. XRD analysis indicats that nano-La2O3 does not change the crystal structure of MC nylon. Mechanical properties tests show that the tensile strength, elongation at break, impact strength, flexural strength, and flexural modulus of nanocomposites first increase then decrease as the content of nano-La2O3 is increased. When the content of nano-La2O3 is 0.5%, the tensile strength and elongation at break of nanocomposites reach maximum, which are 17.9% and 52.1% higher respectively than those of MC nylon. When the content of nano-La2O3 is 1.0%, the impact strength, flexural strength and flexural modulus of nanocomposites reach maximum, which are 36.6 %, 12.7 % and 16.3 % higher respectively than those of MC nylon.

Mechanical behavior and failure mechanism of polyurea nanocomposites under quasi-static and dynamic compressive loading

Polyurea is an elastomeric material that can be applied to enhance the protection ability of structures under blast and impact loading.In order to study the compressive mechanical properties of SiC/polyurea nanocomposites under quasi-static and dynamic loading,a universal testing machine and split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB)apparatus were used respectively.The stress-strain curves were obtained on polyurea and its composites at strain rates of 0.001e8000 s1.The results of the experiment suggested that increase in the strain rates led to the rise of the flow stress,compressive strength,strain rate sensitivity and strain energy.This indicates that all of the presented materials were dependent on strain rate.Moreover,these mechanical characters were enhanced by incorporating a small amount of SiC into polyurea matrix.The relation between yield stress and strain rates were established using the power law functions.Finally,in order to investigate the fracture surfaces and inside information of failed specimens,scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and micro X-ray computed tomography(micro-CT)were used respectively.Multiple voids,crazes,micro-cracks and cracking were observed in fracture surfaces.On the other hand,the cracking propagation was found in the micro-CT slice images.It is essential to understand the deformation and failure mechanisms in all the polyurea materials.

Construction of TiO_(2)-pillared multilayer graphene nanocomposites as efficient photocatalysts for ciprofloxacin degradation

We successfully constructed TiO_(2)-pillared multilayer graphene nanocomposites(T-MLGs)via a facile method as follows:dodecanediamine pre-pillaring,ion exchange(Ti4+pillaring),and interlayer in-situ formation of TiO_(2) by hydrothermal method.TiO_(2) nanoparticles were distributed uniformly on the graphene interlayer.The special structure combined the advantages of graphene and TiO_(2) nanoparticles.As a result,T-MLGs with 64.3wt%TiO_(2) showed the optimum photodegradation rate and adsorption capabilities toward ciprofloxacin.The photodegradation rate of T-MLGs with 64.3wt%TiO_(2) was 78%under light-emitting diode light irradiation for 150 min.Meanwhile,the pseudofirst-order rate constant of T-MLGs with 64.3wt%TiO_(2) was 3.89 times than that of pristine TiO_(2).The composites also exhibited high stability and reusability after five consecutive photocatalytic tests.This work provides a facile method to synthesize semiconductor-pillared graphene nanocomposites by replacing TiO_(2) nanoparticles with other nanoparticles and a feasible means for sustainable utilization of photocatalysts in wastewater control.

Magnesium-based nanocomposites:A review from mechanical,creep and fatigue properties

The addition of nanoscale additions to magnesium(Mg)based alloys can boost mechanical characteristics without noticeably decreasing ductility.Since Mg is the lightest structural material,the Mg-based nanocomposites(NCs)with improved mechanical properties are appealing materials for lightweight structural applications.In contrast to conventional Mg-based composites,the incorporation of nano-sized reinforcing particles noticeably boosts the strength of Mg-based nanocomposites without significantly reducing the formability.The present article reviews Mg-based metal matrix nanocomposites(MMNCs)with metallic and ceramic additions,fabricated via both solid-based(sintering and powder metallurgy)and liquid-based(disintegrated melt deposition)technologies.It also reviews strengthening models and mechanisms that have been proposed to explain the improved mechanical characteristics of Mg-based alloys and nanocomposites.Further,synergistic strengthening mecha-nisms in Mg matrix nanocomposites and the dominant equations for quantitatively predicting mechanical properties are provided.Furthermore,this study offers an overview of the creep and fatigue behavior of Mg-based alloys and nanocomposites using both traditional(uniaxial)and depth-sensing indentation techniques.The potential applications of magnesium-based alloys and nanocomposites are also surveyed.

Significantly Enhanced Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Performances of Epoxy Nanocomposites with Long-Range Aligned Lamellar Structures

High-efficiency electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding materials are of great importance for electronic equipment reliability,information security and human health.In this work,bidirectional aligned Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)@Fe_(3)O_(4)/CNF aerogels(BTFCA)were firstly assembled by bidirectional freezing and freeze-drying technique,and the BTFCA/epoxy nanocomposites with long-range aligned lamellar structures were then prepared by vacuum-assisted impregnation of epoxy resins.Benefitting from the successful construction of bidirectional aligned three-dimensional conductive networks and electromagnetic synergistic effect,when the mass fraction of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) and Fe_(3)O_(4) are 2.96 and 1.48 wt%,BTFCA/epoxy nanocomposites show outstanding EMI shield-ing effectiveness of 79 dB,about 10 times of that of blended Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)@Fe_(3)O_(4)/epoxy(8 dB)nanocomposites with the same loadings of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) and Fe_(3)O_(4).Meantime,the corresponding BTFCA/epoxy nanocomposites also present excellent thermal stability(T_(heat-resistance index) of 198.7℃)and mechanical properties(storage modulus of 9902.1 MPa,Young’s modulus of 4.51 GPa and hardness of 0.34 GPa).Our fabricated BTFCA/epoxy nanocomposites would greatly expand the applications of MXene and epoxy resins in the fields of information security,aerospace and weapon manufacturing,etc.

DISPERSION AND TENSILE BEHAVIOR OF POLYPROPYLENE/MONTMORILLONITE NANOCOMPOSITES PRODUCED VIA MELT INTERCALATION

Most of the articles on polymer nanocomposites focus on the importance of chemistry used to modify the surface of the clay, usually montmorillonite (MMT), and characterization of the nano-scale structure obtained. The role and importance of processing were also discussed recently. However, few papers concerning the correlation between morphology of MMT and mechanical properties were published. In order to understand. the tensile behavior of PP/Montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposites better, and to further improve the reinforcement efficiency, we first prepared the PP nanocomposites via direct melt intercalation using conventional twin-screw extrusion. The dispersion and tensile property of the composites were then investigated by SEM, XRD, TEM and a video-controlled tensile set-up. The macroscopic and microscopic dispersion of MMT in PP matrix was verified by XRD and TEM, combined with SEM. The tensile properties were obtained by video-controlled tensile set-up, which gives true stress-strain curve. It was found that a partly intercalated and partly exfoliated structure (also called incomplete exfoliation) existed in the system. Though the tensile strength of PP nanocomposites is not much improved in engineering stress-strain curves, more than 20% increase of true stress was found in a true stress-strain experiment at high true strain, which indicates that only oriented silicate layers can have a big effect on tensile properties: Not only orientation of silicate platelets but also the degree of exfoliation is a key factor to determine the reinforcement efficiency. The reinforcement efficiency of MMT has been discussed based on the 'continuum' Halpin-Tsai equations. A good agreement was found between experimental data and theoretical prediction by changing N value (number of platelets per stack) which corresponding to different state of the dispersion of MMT in PP matrix.