Exfoliated polystyrene-clay nanocomposites synthesized by solvent blending with sonication

Polystyrene clay nanocomposites can be prepared via several different methods, including in situ polymerization, melt compounding, or solvent blending. In this paper, we investigate solvent blending which is facilitated by high power sonication to prepare an exfoliated polystyrene-clay nanocomposite. The effects of clay type as well as sonication during solvent blending in regards to degree of clay exfoliation are discussed. The results from these experiments show that one type of clay (montmorillonite) performs better during this technique than another (fluorinated synthetic mica), suggesting that clay type, as well as the energy of mixing, plays a role in clay exfoliation when using solvent blending. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction are included to measure the degree of clay exfoliation in these samples. Sonication during solvent blending with an imdazolium modified montmorillonite was found to produce an exfoliated polystyrene nanocomposite.