Properties of Polystyrene/Organoclay Composites Prepared by Melt Compounding Using a Twin-screw Extruder; Poly (styrene-C0-vinyloxazoline) -based Masterbatch Approach

摘要

We tried to prepare Polystyrene (PS)/Organoclay nanocomposites by melt compounding using a counter-rotating twin-screw extruder. The effects of a masterbatch process using Poly (styrene-co-vinyloxazolin) (OPS)-based masterbatch on the properties of prepared composites were investigated in this study. These composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mechanical properties were assessed by tensile testing, and the thermal properties of the composites were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The d_(002) distance of clay platelets in the case of using masterbatch decreases with an increase in clay content included in the masterbatch. The values of Young's modulus and the glass transition temperature (T_g) of composites were the highest in the case of using masterbatch with 20wt% clay content (OPS: organoclay = 4:1). This result implies the existence of optimal clay content in preparing a masterbatch for PS/OPS/organoclay composites with good performance. In addition, the Young's modulus and T_g of the composites showed the highest values when PS with the highest viscosity was used.