In-situ reactive blending to prepare polystyrene-clay and polypropylene-clay nanocomposites

Nanocomposites of polystyrene and polypropylene with organically-modified clay may be prepared by melt blending in a Bra-bender mixer the clay and the polymer. The presence of maleic anhydride increases the likelihood of nanocomposite formation for polystyrene but is less important for polypropylene. The materials that result are immiscible materials, in that the clay is not uniformly distributed throughout the polymer matrix, but there is polymer inserted between the clay layers. The results from cone calorimetry suggest that nanocomposite formation has occurred, since there is a significant reduction in the peak heat release rate. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.