The Stability and Properties of Polystyrene/Kaolinite Nanocomposites during Synthesis via Emulsion Polymerization.
José Costa de Macêdo NetoBruno Mello de FreitasAdalberto Gomes de MirandaReinaldo de Almeida RodriguesGilberto Garcia Del PinoAntônio Claudio KielingMarcos Dantas Dos SantosSergio Duvoisin JuniorAntônio Estanislau SanchesIsrael G TornéCláudia Cândida SilvaJoão Carlos Martins da CostaRoger Hoel BelloPublished in: Polymers (2023)
The aim of this work was to study the stability and morphological properties of polystyrene latex containing kaolinite as a filler during the process of synthesis of nanocomposites viaemulsion polymerization. Nanocomposites with 1, 3, and 5 wt% of kaolinite were prepared. Latexes with 1 to 3 wt% of kaolinite were stable during the polymerization reaction. Hydrodynamic diameters of 93.68 and 82.11 nm were found for latexes with 1 and 3 wt% of kaolinite, respectively. The quantities of 1 to 3 wt% of kaolinite added during the reaction did not influence the reaction conversion curves or the number of particles. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and unconventional techniques of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) showed the presence of exfoliated and intercalated structures of the kaolinite.