A New Type of Dispersant [Sodium Salt of Styrene–Methacrylic Acid Copolymer (SSMA)/Montmorillonite (MMT) Nanocomposite] for Pesticide Water Dispersible Granules

A new type of dispersant sodium salt of styrene–methacrylic acid copolymer (SSMA)/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposite] with different content of the MMT was synthesized through in situ solution free radical copolymerization. X‐ray diffraction measurements and electron microscopy observations prove that SSMA molecules can enter the interlayer space of MMT and form an intercalated structure. There are both fully intercalated and partly intercalated structures in the nanocomposites, which are related to the loading content of MMT. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy images indicate that the exfoliation degree of MMT in the nanocomposites decrease with increasing MMT content. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis shows that there are hydrogen‐bonding interactions between carboxyl groups of SSMA and hydroxyl groups of MMT. Atrazine water dispersible granules were prepared by using SSMA/MMT nanocomposite as dispersant and their suspensibility in aqueous solution was determined to evaluate the dispersion properties of the nanocomposite. The results show that the addition of MMT can not only increase the steric effect of the SSMA to improve its dispersion properties, but also reduce the production cost of SSMA. The optimum loading content of MMT is 10 wt%.