Solution intercalation of polystyrene and the comparison with poly(ethyl methacrylate)

Polystyrene nanocomposites have been prepared via solution intercalation method. Combination of wide-angle X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis is used to study the effect of solvents on the morphology of the nanocomposites as a function of the amount of residual solvent. d-Spacing of the polystyrene nanocomposites has a minimum value when the residual solvent concentration is between 2 and 4 wt%. Different interaction level between the solvent molecules and polymer chains is considered to be the reason for this special d-spacing change behavior. By comparing the solution intercalation of polystyrene and poly(ethyl methacrylate) from different solvents, it is concluded that the interactions between polymer-surfactant, solvent-surfactant, and polymer-solvent play important role for the solution intercalation of polymers.     

金属/Al2O3基纳米复合材料研究最新进展

金属／Al2O3纳米复合材料在保持原有金属的功能特性时，还可以获得 很好的力学性能，是有良好发展前景的一种纳米复合材料。本文回顾了近年来金属／Al2O3基纳米复合材料在制备工艺，微观结构和力学性能，增韧强化机理方面的最新进展，并指出了今后的研究方向。     

Piezoresistive Behavior Study on Finger‐Sensing Silicone Rubber/Graphite Nanosheet Nanocomposites

A novel finger‐sensing nanocomposite with remarkable and reversible piezoresistivity is successfully fabricated by dispersing homogeneously conductive graphite nanosheets (GNs) in a silicone rubber (SR) matrix. Because of the high aspect ratio of the graphite nanosheets, the nanocomposite displays a very low percolation threshold. The SR/GN nanocomposite with a volume fraction of conductive nanosheets closest to that for the percolation threshold presents a sharp positive‐pressure coefficient effect of the resistivity under very low pressure, namely, in the finger‐pressure range (0.3–0.7 MPa), whereby the abrupt transition could be attributed to compressive‐stress‐induced deformation of the conducting network. The super‐sensitive piezoresistive behavior of the nanocomposite is accounted for by an extension of the tunneling conduction theory which provides a good approximation to the piezoresistive effect.     

Assessing organo-clay dispersion in polymer layered silicate nanocomposites: A SAXS approach

A SAXS method for the quantitative assessment of the morphology of polymer layered silicate nanocomposites is proposed. Fitting the SAXS patterns, the number of clay layers, the periodicity of the layers in the tactoids, the thickness of the regions interposed between the clay platelets and their distributions can be measured. A good agreement with TEM data was obtained, avoiding the inconsistencies with microscopical observations often reported in the literature.     

Melt intercalation/exfoliation of polystyrene-sodium-montmorillonite nanocomposites using sulfonated polystyrene ionomer compatibilizers

Quaternary ammonium salts of sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) were used as compatibilizers for melt intercalation of PS and pristine Na-montmorillonite. Tetra-octyl ammonium SPS and tetra-decyl ammonium SPS ionomeric compatibilizers produced significant exfoliation and a homogeneous dispersion of the polymer-clay nanocomposites. Wide angle X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were primarily used to characterize the morphology of the nanocomposites. Image analysis was used to measure the percentage exfoliation. Exfoliation increased with the increasing length of the alkyl chain of the ammonium counter-ion of the SPS ionomer. The nanocomposites containing ionomers exhibited higher storage moduli compared to nanocomposites without the compatibilizer.     

Flame retardant and the degradation mechanism of high impact polystyrene/Fe-montmorillonite nanocomposites

High impact polystyrene/Fe-montmorillonite (HIPS/Fe-MMT) nanocomposites were successfully prepared by melting intercalation. The nanostructures of HIPS/Fe-MMT were testified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Corresponding to pure HIPS, the thermal stability of HIPS/Fe-MMT nanocomposites was notably improved. The peaks of heat release rate (PHRR) and the mass loss rate (MLR) were significantly reduced after the formation of the HIPS/Fe-MMT nanocomposites from cone calorimetry. And nanocomposites PHRR was further lower with the increase of Fe-MMT content in the range of 1 to 5 wt%. The degradation mechanism of HIPS and HIPS/Fe-MMT nanocomposites was conducted by pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS). And the reason of the enhancement of thermal stability maybe is that structural iron is the operative site for radical trapping in the Fe-MMT and the nanostructure enhances the interaction of the chains of the HIPS.     

Natural rubber-based nanocomposites by latex compounding with layered silicates

Natural rubber (NR) based nanocomposites with 10 wt% natural and synthetic layered silicates were produced via the latex compounding method. As layered silicates, sodium bentonite (natural) and sodium fluorohectorite (synthetic) were selected in addition to a non-layered inert filler (English India clay or commercial clay) as reference material. The nanocomposites were prepared by compounding the dispersions of clays and other latex chemicals necessary for vulcanization. The vulcanized nanocomposites were subjected to mechanical, thermal and swelling tests. The silicate dispersion was studied by transmission electron microscopy. Layered silicates outperformed the reference material (commercial clay) in all aspects. This was attributed to the intercalation/exfoliation of the silicates and to the formation of a skeleton ‘(house of cards)’ silicate network in the NR matrix.     

Nanocomposites based on polyethylene and Mg-Al layered double hydroxide. I. Synthesis and characterization

Low density polyethylene (LDPE)/Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanocomposites have been synthesized with different compositions by melt-mixing technique using maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene as compatibilizer. LDH has been modified by sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate using reconstruction method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The nanocomposites are characterized by different techniques such as, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), XRD and rheology. The TEM analysis shows a complex nature of particle dispersion in the polymer matrix with wide distribution of particles sizes and shapes. The rheological analysis showed significant changes in linear viscoelastic responses of the composites, even at very low concentration (2 phr) of LDH materials, in comparison to the pure polymer in low frequency regime in dynamic frequency sweep experiments. These changes are related to the LDHs-polymer chains interactions resulting in network-like structure.