摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a polymer/clay nanocomposite capable of mass production by a commercially feasible method. SOLUTION: This nanocomposite material contains a star-shaped polystyrene which can be blended with a normal linear polystyrene and an inorganic layered material. The inorganic layered material can have a exfoliated, a substantially exfoliated, or an intercalated structure. The exfoliated structure can significantly improve physical properties even with only a very low content of the clay. This patent includes the method of manufacturing the composition. In one embodiment, a physical mixture of the clay and the star-shaped polymer is prepared and then the mixture is heated for several hours, preferably under high-shear mixing, to increase the rate of exfoliation, after which mostly inexpensive commodity linear polystyrene polymer completes the composition. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO
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