Premium
Effect of particle–particle and polymer–particle interactions on nanosilica aggregation in polystyrene
Author(s) -
Sanjari Shahrezaei Mohamad Ali,
Goharpey Fatemeh,
Foudazi Reza
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
polymer composites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.577
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1548-0569
pISSN - 0272-8397
DOI - 10.1002/pc.24287
Subject(s) - materials science , particle (ecology) , polystyrene , rheology , polymer , particle aggregation , composite material , percolation (cognitive psychology) , dispersion (optics) , particle size , nanoparticle , modulus , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , oceanography , physics , engineering , neuroscience , optics , biology , geology
In this work, we show that the particle–particle interactions are more effective than polymer–particle interactions on the dispersion of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic nanosilica in polystyrene (PS) nanocomposites. The surface hydrophobization of nanoparticles weakens the particle‐particle interaction and prevents nanoparticle aggregation. Rheological measurements are employed to study the aggregation behavior of samples. A comparative faster stress relaxation modulus G ( t ) indicates the lower extent of aggregation and a weaker polymer particle network. Additionally, the structure of the particle network is studied by using the percolation and fractal models. The results demonstrate that particles with higher hydrophobicity form aggregates with lower fractal dimension and have higher percolation threshold. The amount of adhered polymer chain is affected by particle's surface chemistry. The contribution of adhered chains on the particles to the dynamic modulus is also studied theoretically. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:2904–2914, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers