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Polystyrene/MMT nanocomposites prepared by soap-free emulsion polymerization with high solids content

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Abstract

Polystyrene/montmorillonite (PSt/MMT) nanocomposite latexes have been synthesized by soap-free emulsion polymerization using MMT clay platelets as stabilizer. Small amounts of methacrylic acid were used as auxiliary monomer to promote clay adhesion to the surface of the particles. Overall solids content of the composite latexes in complete absence of coagulation of up to 30.7 wt% are reported under batch conditions. The 3 wt% MMT clay platelets were sufficient to maintain the colloidal stability and increasing MMT clay content resulted in the increase of particle diameter due to the improved viscosity of reaction medium. Transmission electron microscopy results demonstrate the existence of MMT platelets on the particle surface. X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) results show that an exfoliated structure of PSt/MMT nanocomposites was obtained in this study with the absence of d001 diffraction peak of MMT in the XRD region.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Natural Science Fund of Anhui Provincial Education committee of the People’s Republic of China (KJ2012Z036), Anhui Province College Outstanding Young Talent Fund of the People’s Republic of China (2012SQRL032ZD), Open Subject Fund of AnHui Province Key Laboratory of Environment-friendly Polymer Materials of the People’s Republic of China (KF2011001), Ma’anshan Scientific and Technological Bureau (2012-29) and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of the People’s Republic of China (BK2011262).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Institute of Molecular Engineering & Applied Chemistry, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan, 243002, China

    Jun Chen, Hai-Long Liu, Xiao-Qin Hong, Cheng Cai & Qian-Feng Zhang

  2. AnHui Province Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Polymer Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, 230036, China

    Jun Chen

  3. CNOOC Changzhou Paint and Coating Industry Research Institute, Changzhou, 213016, China

    Mu-Li Wang

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  1. Jun Chen
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  2. Hai-Long Liu
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Correspondence to Jun Chen.

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Chen, J., Liu, HL., Hong, XQ. et al. Polystyrene/MMT nanocomposites prepared by soap-free emulsion polymerization with high solids content. Colloid Polym Sci 290, 1955–1963 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-012-2823-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-012-2823-7

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