Nanocomposites based on high-impact polystyrene and nanoclay were prepared and evaluated. Three types of montmorillonite clay modified with quaternary ammonium salt (organically modified montmorillonite - OMMT), designated S4, S7 and B8, and sodium clay (NT-25) were used to obtain the nanomaterials. The insertion of the organophilic clay in HIPS was done by solution intercalation because this process permits good dispersion of the clay in the polymer matrix due to its swelling in the solvent. This swelling was evaluated according to the Foster's method and the most suitable solvent for these clays was chloroform. The nanomaterials obtained were characterized by X-ray diffraction and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), by means of relaxometry, by determining the spin-lattice relaxation time of the hydrogen nuclei in the polymer matrix. The results obtained indicate that the nanomaterials formed were mixed, i.e., part was intercalated and part was exfoliated. Additionally, the proportion of nanoclay that produced nanocomposites with the highest degree of exfoliation was 2%.
Nanotechnology; polystyrene; montmorillonite; HIPS; LF-NMR; gas barrier; Foster swelling
