Thermal and Mechanical Effects in Polystyrene-Montmorillonite Nanocomposite Foams

Nanocomposite polystyrene (PS) foams based on montmorillonite layered silicate (MLS) as nanofillers were prepared using in-situ polymerization of styrene. These nanocomposites were characterized for their thermal and mechanical properties using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), x-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Foamed sample microscopy revealed that the cell size reduced with the increasing amount of nanofiller. The mechanical properties showed a significant increase.