Mechanical, rheological and thermal properties of polystyrene/1-octadecanol modified carbon nanotubes nanocomposites

The results of the studies on the functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) with 1-octadecanol and its usage as reinforcing filler in the bulk polymerization of styrene are reported in this article. Both unmodified and modified CNTs were utilized in different loadings, however, without any initiator. The resulting composites were characterized by using mechanical testing, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and melt rheology. The tensile tests show the addition of 0.5wt% of CNT-C18 results in 19.5% increment of Young's modulus. The DSC study shows a decrease in T_g values of prepared PS/CNT nanocomposite. The rheological study was conducted at 190°C and shows that addition of pure CNT increased the viscoelastic behavior of the PS matrices, while the CNT-C18 act as plasticizer. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that the incorporation of CNT into PS enhanced the thermal properties significantly.