AbstractNanocomposites based on poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) and attapulgite (AT) had been prepared by solution blending in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The rheological properties of the nanocomposites solutions were investigated by HAAKE rheometer with plate‐cone geometry. The steady and oscillation shear experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of clay exfoliation and orientation as well as polymer‐clay interaction. The presence of small amount of AT nanoparticles with large aspect ratio improved the fluidity of these PAN solutions under low shear rate, whereas large amount of AT will reduce its aspect ratio by aggregation and constrain the polymer segment motion in the solutions. The relaxation and disentanglement behaviors of the PAN chains in nanocomposite solutions were also studied by oscillation and thixotropic experiments, from which, it can be concluded that well dispersed and oriented AT nanorods will reduce interaction among macromolecules. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 945–954, 2009