Thermal Properties and Combustion Behaviors of Polystyrene/Surface-Modified TiO₂ Nanotubes Nanocomposites

Abstract

Titanium dioxide nanotubes, surface modified with phenl dichlorophosphate, were incorporated in polystyrene by in situ bulk radical polymerization. The modified Titanium dioxide nanotubes were characterized using fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and thermo-gravimetric analysis. The influences of the modified Titanium dioxide nanotubes on the thermal properties of the PS were investigated using TGA. These results show that the glass transition temperature and thermal stabilities of the nanocomposites were improved. Thermo-gravimetric analysis/infrared spectrometry analyses of the gas products of PS-TNTs nanocomposites confirmed the degradation pathway of polystyrene had been changed.

Keywords:

• Nanocomposite
• Polystyrene
• Surface modification
• Thermal property
• Titanium dioxide nanotube

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The work was financially supported by the Program for Specialized Research Fund for the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.50903080), the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (200803580008) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (20080430101).

Notes

THR: Total heat release (kJ/g).