Fabrication of carbon nanotubes/polystyrene nanocomposites via Pickering emulsion polymerization

Abstract

In this paper, the carbon nanotubes/polystyrene nanocomposites were fabricated via Pickering emulsion polymerization using sulfonated carbon nanotubes as solid surfactant. The functionalized carbon nanotubes could be used as effective surfactant of styrene-in-water emulsion and dispersed homogeneously in the production of polystyrene as effective nanofiller by this method. The research results show that the carbon nanotubes/polystyrene nanocomposites were prepared and the thermal stability of polystyrene was significantly improved with low functionalized carbon nanotubes loading.