Reinforcement in thermal and viscoelastic properties of polystyrene by in-situ incorporation of organophilic montmorillonite

A commercial organophilic montmorillonite (Claytone APA) was used to modify the properties of polystyrene by in-situ incorporation method, in which the polymerization of styrene was carried out in the presence of Claytone APA. It was found that this organoclay could be easily dispersed and swollen in styrene monomer. For the resultant polystyrene nanocomposites, the intercalated microstructure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and their thermal and viscoelastic properties were investigated by means of thermogravimetric analyses and rheological parameter measurements. Compared with pure PS, the modified PS samples investigated are characteristic of enhanced thermal stability, stronger shear-thinning behavior as well as greater storage and loss moduli.