Montmorillonite‐filled nanocomposites of tung oil/styrene/divinylbenzene polymers prepared by thermal polymerization

Abstract

AbstractMontmorillonite‐filled nanocomposites were prepared by the thermal copolymerization of tung oil (TUNG), styrene (ST), and divinylbenzene (DVB). These nanocomposites were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and their mechanical properties. The XRD of the modified montmorillonite exhibited a peak that vanished completely in the nanocomposites. Thus, the XRD results apparently indicate a distortion of the platy layers of the nanofiller in the TUNG–ST–DVB polymers. A platy nanolayered structure of the modified montmorillonite in the TUNG–ST–DVB polymers was observed by TEM. The extent of separation of the platy layers as observed by the TEM reached a maximum for the 5% modified nanofiller (at a fixed polymer composition), 50%‐oil‐containing polymer (at a fixed nanofiller concentration of 5%), and TUNG intragallery nanocomposites (at both fixed polymer and nanofiller concentrations). The DMA results show a broadened glass‐transition temperature along with a hump for these nanofilled polymers, indicating the presence as a majority constituent of a copolymer consisting of TUNG and aromatics, along with a grafted TUNG polymer, respectively. The improvements in the Young's modulus and compressive strength upon incorporation of the nanofiller indicated the presence of a partially intercalated and distorted platy‐layered structure of the nanofiller. However, from the results of all of these studies, it was tough to estimate the exact level of delamination/exfoliation in these TUNG nanocomoposites. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011