A New Approach for the Quantitative Analysis of Degree of Dispersion of Clay Particles in the Polymer Matrix by Electron Microscopy Combined with Smallangle X-ray Scattering

The main objective of this work is to propose a new approach for the quantitative analysis of the degree of dispersion of clay particles in the polymer matrix by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) combined with electron microscopy. The dispersed structure of the clay particles in the poly[(butylene succinate)-co-adipate] (PBSA) matrix was studied by SAXS. The morphology of the nanocomposites was extensively studied by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). In the case of all nanocomposites, SAXS results were in good agreement with STEM observations.