EFFECT OF SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS ON POLYSTYRENE/CLAY NANOCOMPOSITE VIA EMULSION POLYMERIZATION

摘要

Polystyrene/clay nanocomposite with organically modified montmorillonite was synthesized via emulsion polymerization. Organic styrene monomer was first intercalated into intergalley of the clay hosts, followed by a typical emulsion polymerization with surfactant and initiator. To investigate the effect of clay loading, we also prepared PS/clay nanocomposites with different clay contents. Wide angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the emulsion polymerization of PS in the presence of clay produces partially exfoliated and intercalated nanocomposites. In order to study their rheological properties, the melt pallets of composite materials were prepared and measured via a rotational rheometer with a parallel plate geometry.