Self-assembly in a polystyrene/montmorillonite nanocomposite

Communication: A self-assembly phenomenon in an extruded polystyrene/clay n anocomposite sample is observed during a temperature increase process. Wide -angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), an d infrared diechroism techniques have been employed to investigate the self -assembly phenomenon. The results show that in the self-assembly structure the montmorillonite primary particles orient parallel, and the phenyl rings of the polystyrene align perpendicular to the primary particles, whereas n o obvious orientation of the aliphatic chain was observed.