Polystyrene/multi-wall carbon nanotube composites prepared by suspension polymerization and their electrorheological behavior

Polystyrene and polystyrene/multi-wall carbon nanotube composites, PS/MWNT, with MWNT content up to 1 wt.% were prepared in the form of microspheres through in situ suspension polymerization. The morphology of the fraction of 32–64 μm was examined by SEM and TEM microscopy. On the surface of the spheres the presence of MWNT was not observed. The microspheres intersections showed the structure of aggregates of sintered beads a few micrometers in size with heterogeneous interface. No MWNT material was observed inside the beads; it seemed to be situated in the heterogeneous phase of microspheres. Suspensions of PS/MWNT in silicone oil show electrorheological effect, whose intensity strongly depends on MWNT content in composite microspheres.