Synthesis of exfoliated polystyrene/anionic clay MgAl-layered double hydroxide: Structural and thermal properties

Exfoliated polystyrene/layered double hydroxide (PS/LDH) nanocomposites were prepared by direct intercalation of PS into MgAl LDH at 60 °C. The MgAl LDH as the nanofiller was modified via the precipitation of the salt mixture of magnesium and aluminum metals by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Various techniques, Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray-diffraction (XRD), Filed Emission Transmission Electron Microscopy (FETE) and thermo gravimetric analyses (TGA) were employed for structural properties and thermal stability of the nanocomposites. FTIR spectra indicated the presence of both functional groups of SDS-LDH and PS. XRD patterns and TEM images indicated the formation of amorphous dispersed and exfoliated nanocomposites. Increase in thermal stability with SDS-MgAl LDH content was observed by TGA and DTG through the T_0.5 (T_0.5 the degradation temperature at 50%) and T_max (T_max the maximum rate of change) with a maximum obtained for a loading of 2 and 4 wt%.