TITLE:
Thermal Stability and Crystallinity Study of Polystyrene/SiO2 Nano-Composites Synthesis via Microwave-Assisted In Situ Polymerization
AUTHORS:
Nikesh Samarth, Linchon Mehta, Vinayak Kamble, Malhari Kulkarni, Prakash Mahanwar
KEYWORDS:
Nanocomposites, In Situ Polymerization, Bulk Polymerization, Nano SiO2
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Synthesis Theory and Applications,
Vol.5 No.2,
April
29,
2016
ABSTRACT: Serials of polystyrene/SiO2 Nano composites (PS/SiO2) with different content of inorganic fillers were successfully prepared by the in situ bulk radical polymerization of styrene under microwave irradiation. The effect of the amount of Nano SiO2 on the properties of the PS/SiO2 Nanocomposites along with the average relative molecular masses (Mn, Mz and Mw) was investigated by thermal analysis and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Their structural model was proposed on the basis of the Optical Microscopy, FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The dispersion of nanoparticles in Polystyrene is observed in the magnified image. The effect of microwave irradiation power on molecular weight of polystyrene was also studied. It was found that, the microwave assisted reaction needs less time as compare to conventional polymerization and found to be in between 10 to 15 min.