A study of the effect of surfactants on the properties of polystyrene-montmorillonite nanocomposites

Polystyrene-Organo Montmorillonite (PS-MMT) nanocomposites were prepared by suspension free radical polymerization of styrene in the dispersed organophilic montmorillonite. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) indicated that exfoliated nanocomposites were achieved. The effect of organic modifiers (surfactants) on the properties of the synthesized nanocomposites was studied. It is found that polystyrene-MMT nanocomposite with 5.0 wt% of organo-MMT gave the greatest improvement in thermal stability, and polystyrene-MMT nanocomposites with 7.5 wt% of organo-MMT showed the greatest improvement in mechanical properties, compared with that of pure polystyrene (PS) in our experimental conditions. The alkyl chain length of surfactant used in fabricating organo-MMT affects the synthesized PS nanocomposites: the longer the alkyl chain length that the surfactant possesses, the higher the glass transition temperature of the PS nanocomposite. However, the organoclay in the nanocomposites seems to play a dual role: (a) as nanofiller leading to the increase of storage modulus and (b) as plasticizer leading to the decrease of storage modulus. This results in a lower storage modulus of PS-TMOMMT and PS-TMTMMT nanocomposites than that of PS-TMDMMT and PS-TMCMMT nanocomposites. Further study is needed to confirm the above hypothesis.