Characteristics of polystyrene/organoclay nanocomposites prepared by in-situ polymerization with macroazoinitiator containing poly(dimethylsiloxane) segment

Polystyrene (PS)/organoclay nanocomposites were prepared by the in situ polymerization of styrene in the presence of organoclay with macroazoinitiator (MAI), composed of repeated sequences of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and azo groups. The X-ray diffraction patterns and the morphology observed with a transmission electron microscope showed that the dispersion of organoclay in polymer matrix improved as the content of the PDMS segment in the nanocomposite increased. However, negative effects on the rise of glass transition temperatures and the thermal resistance of nanocomposite, measured by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry, at a high content of the PDMS segment, suggested that organoclay lay preferentially in the PDMS domain. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.