Effects of mesoporous SBA-15 contents on the properties of polystyrene composites via in-situ emulsion polymerization

Different loading of mesoporous molecular sieve SBA-15 was used to prepare polystyrene (PS)/SBA-15 composite materials via in-situ emulsion polymerization. The influence of SBA-15 silica on the styrene emulsion polymerization was studied regarding to the monomer conversion, particle size and particle size distribution, stability and viscosity of the resulting emulsion. The structure and properties of the composites were investigated by infrared spectroscopy (IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). In addition, the glass transition temperature (T_g), thermal mechanical property and thermal stability of the composite film were measured by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. The results indicated that the composite emulsion showed high monomer conversion, thick viscosity, low coagulum, uniform particle size and broad size distribution. Molecular weight of the polymer decreased with the increase of mesoporous silica. SBA-15 silica was dispersed evenly in PS matrix at a loading of 5 %. The PS/SBA-15 composite material containing 10 % silica maintained a certain ordered structure. DMA results demonstrated that PS/SBA-15 composite exhibited greater storage modulus and high T_g compared to pure PS. The improved thermal stability and T_g of the composite were also confirmed by the TGA and DSC.