This paper reports on a novel route to develop EVOH-kaolinite nanocomposites by a melt intercalation process and on some relevant nanocomposite properties as a function of composition. The kaolinite clay used is a very cheap raw material of the the industry and as such needed to be refined and chemically modified prior to the melt intercalation step. The modification was carried out with dimethyl-sulfoxide, methanol and octadecylamine in order to increase the basal plane distance of the original clay by a factor of more than three. Melt blended nanocomposites were characterized by WAXS, TEM, DSC, TGA and oxygen transmission rate. From the early results, partial exfoliation and intercalation of the clay platelets was the dominant morphology attained. An increase in thermal resistance, glass transition temperature, crystallinity and barrier properties to oxygen were also observed for mass clay loadings below 8%. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.