Nylon 6-clay hybrid (NCH) was a nanocomposite consisting of nylon 6 and montmorillonite; the silicate layers of montmorillonite were well dispersed individually in the matrix of nylon 6. Five extruded strands with different clay contents and films were prepared. The structures of the NCH extrudates and NCH films were investigated by wide angle and small angle scattering methods. In NCH extrudates, silicate layers were oriented along the extrusion direction and the fiber axis of the γ-type crystallites of nylon 6 was oriented perpendicular to the extrusion direction. In NCH films, not only the hydrogen-bonded sheets of nylon 6 crystallites but also the surface of the silicate layer were found to be parallel to the film surface. Such preferred orientations of the silicate layer and the nylon 6 crystallites suggested the presence of an interaction between them. This interaction hindered the crystal transformation from γ to α types, which took place during the heat treatment and drawing process.
