Study on emulsion polymerization of PMMA/OMMT nano-composites by redox initiation

A study on the polymerization and characterization of poly (methyl methacrylate)/organo-montmorillonite (PMMA/OMMT) nano-composites is reported. An effective method through emulsion polymerization was carried out for the preparation of nanocomposites using a redox initiation system; ammonium persulfate was used as the oxidizing agent and sodium sulfite as the reducing agent. The structure and morphology of the nanocomposites were studied by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy and the exfoliated morphology was confirmed. The thermal properties were analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that the thermal properties were enhanced with the addition of organo-montmorillonite.