Isothermal crystallization of lightly sulfonated syndiotactic polystyrene/montmorillonite clay nanocomposites

Lightly sulfonated syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) nanocomposites were prepared using a solution intercalation technique, and the effect of montmorillonite clay on the crystallization kinetics of sulfonated sPS ionomer nanocomposites was systematically studied. Wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to evaluate the dispersion of clay platelets within sPS and sulfonated sPS ionomer (SsPS) matrices. Experimental results obtained from WAXD and TEM revealed a predominately exfoliated morphology within the SsPS ionomer containing 5 wt.% of organically-modified clay. The corresponding non-sulfonated sPS control exhibited a mixed morphological structure consisting of intercalated platelets and many platelets that were present as micron-sized agglomerates. Using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the Avrami approach was used to elucidate information related to nucleation and growth within the sPS and SsPS systems during the isothermal crystallization process. Pristine and organically-modified clays significantly increased the overall crystallization rate of the SsPS ionomer, while the nanoclays slightly decreased the crystallization rate of the non-ionic sPS. The mechanistic origins of increased crystallization rates within the SsPS ionomer clay nanocomposites were attributed to multiple phenomena including disruption of the ionomer electrostatic network and a nucleating effect due to the presence of well-separated, homogeneously dispersed clay platelets.