High-throughput method for the synthesis of high performance polystyrene nanocomposites

A new approach toward the development and application of a high-throughput method for nanocomposites was proposed. Polystyrene clay nanocomposites were prepared, using different imidazolium modified montmorillonite clays as nanoadditives. The preparation was carried out utilizing the parallel synthesizer as a high-throughput technique. The effects of solvent, temperature, and type of compatibilizer on the final products were investigated. The final products were analyzed by means of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Polystyrene-dimethyl decylimidazolium-montmorillonite (PS/DMDIM-MMT) and polystyrene-dimethyl hexadecyl imidazolium-montmorillonite (PS/DMHDIM-MMT) nanocomposites were obtained, using chlorobenzene as a solvent at 150°C. The XRD and TEM data were employed to measure the degree of clay exfoliation in the fabricated samples. The results indicate that PS/DMDIM-MMT nanocomposite has an intercalated structure, whereas the PS/DMHDIM-MMT nanocomposite has an exfoliated structure.