Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) compounds have been incorporated into polymer matrixes to improve, among other properties, their thermal stability. In this study, we have prepared a new surfactant by incorporating a POSS compound into an imidazolium chloride. This new compound, 1,2-dimethyl-3-(benzyl ethyl iso-butyl POSS)imidazolium chloride, was used to prepare an organically modified clay (montmorillonite) for use in preparing polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites (PLSNs). The

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... sulting clay exhibited a thermal stability greater than any previously reported organically modified clay. The thermal properties o f the PLSNs prepared from polystyrene (PS), poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA), and polyamide-6 (PA6) were measured using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to examine the extent of nanostructure dispersion. The effects o f using lower loadings o f surfactant in the clay were also examined. The use o f a fluorescent dye in the latter study allowed the use o f laser-induced fluorescence techniques, such as laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (LIFS), in addition to XRD and TEM to examine the extent o f nano-dispersion.